Drive Me Crazy
by minaosu
Summary: Kag is working at the DMV when she meets IY. One thing leads to another and they end up on running from trouble in a crosscountry trek. AU. INUKAG. I'm not dead and neither is the story! Reviews actively solicited and greatly appreciated.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters except the old ladies. they're mine. And the professor isn't mine, he's based on a real person.

A/N: Hee! I couldn't resist! I came up with this idea this morning and I just had to write this! Its nothing amazing, but I think it'll be worth it in the long run! Let's hope, right?

I was gonna have my sis beta for me, but she doesn't want to wake up since she went to bed around 4:30 this morning. Whatever.

Read it! Review it! Stuff!

02-23-06 A/N: Hello! I'm going through all the chapters and sprucing 'em up a bit and re-posting them. Hopefully this'll help to get the creative juices flowing so I can write some more!

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…

Kagome was beyond bored. This was NOT what she'd signed up for!

She'd moved to America as part of an overseas program her college offered-- thinking this would be a great opportunity for her. She wanted to teach English to little kids, so she needed total emersion to hone her skills. She'd always been good at English, and interested in its culture, so going to America didn't sound like such a bad idea. It sounded like fun. After all, the university she was going to attend was in _New York City_! She didn't know oodles about Americans, but she did know that NYC was a cool place to live.

Or so she thought.

When she arrived a few months ago, she expected... well, she wasn't sure what she expected. But she knew she didn't expect to what she found: filth. Everywhere! This was the dirtiest place she'd ever seen in her life. Not that Tokyo wasn't dirty, too…

But here there were no friendly faces like home.

There was nothing like home.

With the money she was forking over for her new apartment, she expected some ritzy neighborhood. Well... "ritzy" was not the word to describe the complex. It was more along the lines of... "Hellhole."

She had to get a part-time job while she was there, to pay for school. This was a problem. She would need to be in America for an equivalent of two full-time semesters before she could go back to Japan and receive full credit... On one hand, she _could_ starve for a year and get this over with, or she could go part-time for at least the first semester so she could earn a bit of extra money to cushion the harder times to follow.

While pondering what to do on that first day, she walked to the nearby corner store to get some basic necessities. After a few minutes, she unconsciously found herself counting the number of homeless people along the way... by the time she reached the store, she'd made her choice and opted for plan "b"... it wouldn't be too terrible to work and go to school, right?

And that was another issue. The brochure had promised she would be provided with a job upon arrival, since she didn't want to stay in the dormitories with all the party animals and needed to support herself. But when she went to the administration her first day, they just looked at her like she had a third breast sprouting from her forehead.

After hunting around for a week or so, she got a lucky break and noticed the Department of Motor Vehicles was looking for a part-timer. Perfect! After speaking with them, taking a few proficiency tests and passing with better scores than most Americans, Kagome found herself as the newest staff member. It would be her job to take people out on the actual driving tests. _And that was it_. She would sit at her nice little desk and do homework until some one showed up to take the test. And they real beauty of it was that they had to do so by appointment, so no surprises!

_Humph. No surprises, my foot. I should have taken the job at Mc Donald's..._

This was Kagome's third walk-in of the day and she was really getting tired of the other two old bats always leaving for "lunch" and not coming back for three hours, leaving her to deal with these weirdoes who wanted to know why their cat can't take the driving test.

And it was a Monday. Kagome hated—no, loathed Mondays. And as if things weren't frustrating enough, she was counting on having some time to study for a test she had the next class. And this wasn't any test. This was the mid-term for her math class.

Just the thought of it made her shudder. Kagome was not the greatest at math, although she was better than a lot of others. She had no idea what she was getting herself into when she signed up to take Advanced College Algebra II with Professor Hunting.

There were many things Kagome didn't care for about the class—and the professor.

The worst thing about the class was that it started at 8 a.m.. That wasn't fun, and it made it difficult for her to stay awake. But it wasn't really the _class_ she didn't like. It was hard, but she knew she could handle it. It was the professor that was the problem.

For one thing-- she wasn't racist or anything-- but there weren't that many black people in Japan. She just wasn't comfortable around him! Then, there was the fact that he was from the southern part of the United States, so he had a terrible accent. She couldn't understand half of what came out of his floppy, hairy mouth. And then, there was the fact that Professor Hunting had been teaching at this school for longer than Kagome had been alive. And Professor Hunting was also crazy.

Her first day of class, when he asked a question, she raised her hand to answer. When she did so, he looked at her like she had just stood on top of her seat and begun to shout profanities at the top of her lungs. So she timidly lowered her hand.

_I guess it was rhetorical..._

Hunting (that's how he referred to himself) looked at her pointedly for another moment, repeated the question and proceeded to answer it himself. He thought about what he'd just said and apparently satisfied with himself, gave a quick nod of his head while pursing his lips together in a highly comical fashion.

Kagome had to try really hard to keep from laughing. What was this guy doing? It was odd enough how he was dressed... when he walked in, she thought for certain that he was another student. A very old and odd student, but a student none-the-less. He wore an old pair of blue-jean pants with a pair of black suspenders to keep his beer-belly from overpowering the fabric completely. With this he wore an old T-shirt with the insignia of what she assumed to be another college. She looked to his feet, expecting to find tennis shoes or maybe even house slippers, but found instead a pair of well-shined black loafers. They were really nice shoes.

_Odd..._ _why would anyone wear that to class?_

But when he went up to the board and began writing their first assignment down, Kagome felt her heart catch in her throat.

_This is the PROFESSOR? Good grief!_

Things had only gone down-hill from there.

After they had the first of the four tests comprising their ultimate grade, Kagome was seriously tempted to go to the administration to complain.

This jerk gave her a 52! 52! She knew how to do everything on the test! She'd studied for hours and worked so hard only to have this decrepit old man take off 10 points from a problem she got right. Off to the side, he'd scribbled, "Don't mark on my typing!"... and it wasn't just on one problem... he'd done similar things to her entire test!

But when she tried to complain, they just laughed at her. "You took Hunting? Are you crazy! What do you want me to do about it? You dug the grave, not me."

"So you just let him do this to students!" Kagome was beyond indignant. This was ridiculous!

"Honey, there's this little thing called 'tenure'. That means that no matter what he does, we can't fire him."

"Why on earth would you people do a thing like that!"

What she wanted to do was to just drop the stupid course and take another teacher the next semester. But if she did that, she'd fall below the required minimum number of hours she was supposed to be taking. Not only that, but she had to pass all of her classes this semester. If not, she'd have to go back to Japan after wasting all that time and money.

So here she was, sitting in the moldy smelling DMV, listening to crazy Americans complain to her about things she didn't understand or care about. It wasn't that she wasn't a nice person, but everyone has their breaking point.

And Kagome was rapidly approaching it.

She told the crazy cat lady to just sit quietly and wait for one of the other ladies to return, since she had an appointment due in a few minutes to take a test.

With the office once again quiet enough to think coherently, Kagome checked her appointment book again.

_12:00... "Inu Yasha" driving test. Huh. That's Japanese... I wonder if the genius realizes that the first part of his name means "dog"... heh. I wouldn't be surprised if it suited him perfectly. Or maybe its just another crazy person who wants their DOG to get its license..._

When she heard the tell-tale tinkle of the door, she looked up, expecting to see an old man with his pants up to his armpits carrying a yippy dog under his arm.

The fact that she did not see this was only half of the reason why she thought her chin would hit the desk as her jaw dropped.

The creature that walked in was no old man—oh, no. This was one beautiful person. He was young, for one thing. He looked to be a year or so older than Kagome. He had lightly tanned skin of a perfect complexion, golden eyes and long, luscious, herbal essence-worthy hair.

He wore a tight, solid red shirt with black jeans and a red baseball cap on his head. She only vaguely noted the long bag thrown over his shoulder before moving on to better things. Looking him over, Kagome noticed there wasn't an ounce of fat on him. She felt like she'd been hit by a ton of bricks. This guy... was indescribable. But to try and sum him up in one sentence:

He was gorgeous.

_If only there were more who looked like him, I might think about staying in America..._ She found herself beginning to daydream about this boy... he was walking towards her, slowly, as though with a purpose. His eyes softened at the sight of her as he quietly sucked in a breath—awed by her beauty.

_**Oh... my goddess of the DMV! Will you run away with me? I am terribly rich and lonely and tired of this country! I want to move to Japan and live the rest of my life satisfying your every whim! Please, dearest angel, speak! Let me hear the name of she who is to be my love from her own sweet, sweet lips!**_

While Kagome began to plan the wedding, the boy had been looking around the office and finally noticed the girl sitting in the corner, staring at him like he was a slab of meat.

"Oi! Wench! Whatta ya lookin' at?"

Taken aback, Kagome saw the image of her Adonis giving her a manicure shatter into a million pieces at the sound of his voice.

_That was more a _bark_ than a comment._

Recovering from her shock, her anger quickly grew. "Excuse me? Who're you calling a 'wench'? I have a name! And I wasn't _staring_ at you! So don't flatter yourself!"

He just laughed. Kagome noticed how bitter it was before he continued. "Uh-uh. Right. Whatever. What's with the funny accent, anyway? I've lived in New York for a while and I thought I'd heard them all!"

Kagome bristled at the quasi-insult. "I am an exchange student from Japan, thank you very much!"

"Ah. Your English is pretty crappy, just so ya know."

"WHAT!" _How **dare** he! _"I'll have you know that you are the first person to think so and I've been here for a few months! Besides, I don't think you're in the position to be criticizing, since I speak the language better than you!"

He opened his mouth for another retort when the door he was still standing in front of flew open, hitting him in the back of the head, knocking off his hat, revealing two triangular, fuzzy ears perched on the top of his head and leaving him in a confused pile on the floor.

It seemed as though Kagome's co-workers had returned.

Kagome noted the strange ears the boy had. _Hmm. Must be a demon or maybe hanyou. Depends... I can't tell, exactly, though. He must be a wolf one or maybe a cat? He doesn't have a tail, though._

As Kagome pondered the mysterious boy, the first elderly woman looked down at the heap of boy she'd knocked over. She was about five feet tall with her heels on and looked like someone had left her in the tub for too long, she was so wrinkled. The diminutive lady cocked her head to one side and smiled as she eyed the prime view she had of this fine specimen's rump.

"JesusMarynJoseph! Dearie, wha on earth mae ya sten inna midda a da darway?" It took him a moment to process what the woman was trying to say to him but he finally got off the floor, wiped his hands on his pantleg, replaced his cap cockily.

Kagome was almost rolling on the floor, she was laughing so hard. She had to remember to treat the older woman to lunch sometime...

"Keh. Whatever. I just want to take my driving test."

"Si, Si... Mejo, choo 'ave tu 'ave an appointmen!" A second woman had entered, this one speaking another dialect almost so thick he couldn't understand it.

She was the same height as the first woman and just as wrinkled. The only difference was that her coloring was darker than the first woman. Kagome still remembered their first meeting and introductions. It took nearly half an hour to try to get them to correctly butcher her name. Then another ten minutes or so of them trying to tell her their names were both Mary. So Kagome developed an indentification system: Mary 1 had the lighter coloring and Mary 2 had the darker. Simple enough.

"An appointment? Yeah, I have one. Today at 12:30... didn't you write it down somewhere? The name is 'Inu Yasha'..."

That was when Kagome stopped laughing.

"What did you say?"

"Oi! Are you deaf? I said my name is I-n-u... Y-a-sh-a! Got it? Now lets get this stupid test over with already!" He looked expectantly at the two pint-sized prunes, who just giggled and pointed at Kagome who had a deer-in-headlights look on her face.

_No way... I guess that solves the mystery... he's a dog demon!_

"What? Hey! Answer me, dammit!"

Kagome cleared her throat as an evil grin spread across her face. "12:30, Inu Yasha? Well what do you know? You're up!"

She grabbed her clipboard and red pen—she'd need it! This jerk was going to pay for... well... being a jerk!

"Whoa! Hold it, toots. I don't want _you_. You're gonna fail me cuz I made fun of you!"

"Excuse me! Do you think I'm that petty!" _Damn, he catches on quickly! But he can't prove a thing. If he fails, he fails. That's not my fault._

"Yes. Yes, I do! Now, I want one of the old bitties to take me!"

"Too bad. It's _my_ _job_ to do the tests. Those two don't even have their licenses anymore! They are both blind and deaf. They'd pass anyone who came in here!"

After considering this and solemnly nodding in agreement, Inu Yasha spoke again. "...I want one of the old bitties to take me!"

"Tough. Now where's your vehicle?" Kagome was already looking over the check list she'd be grading him by and noting what she'd take off for...

"In the parking lot. Duh."

"Don't be like that! I just wanted you to point it out, so I could write down the plate number."

"Keh. Why didn't you just ask me what it was? I can tell you."

"I need to see it for myself, so I can make sure it isn't _stolen_."

His eye twitched in agitation. "You sayin' I'm a thief!"

Kagome looked at him with feigned shock. "I was kidding. But I do have to see the plate for myself, before I give the test. They need to know it in case you go crazy and drive off with me."

"Ha ha ha. You're so funny. NOT!"

"That one wasn't a joke. Now which car is it?"

Sighing, Inu Yasha pointed mutely to a faded red mustang.

"Oh. What year is that? '68, '69?" Kagome asked absently as she wrote down the plate number. She didn't notice him staring at her dumbly for a second before responding.

"Heh. You know cars?"

"Hmm? Oh. My brother back home had an obsession with American sports cars. He has about a million little models in his room."

"Right. It's a '68. It's my—" he had that annoyingly cocky look and tone in his voice that Kagome knew all too well.

"...your baby, I know, I know." She finished for him.

"What do you mean, 'you know'?"

"I know your type. Real 'macho'. Think you're a 'stud' and a 'babe magnet.'"

The look that flashed across his face said she'd hit it right on the head, but he just folded his arms across his chest and muttered, "Keh! Whatever."

"Indeed, Mr. Yasha. Now if I could..." Kagome stopped when she realized he was laughing at her. "What is so funny?"

"My... ha! My last name is not... whooo-hoo... Not 'Yasha'... that's part of my first name, genius!"

She felt her cheeks glow and fought in vain to control her temper. "WELL. I'M SORRY I DON'T KNOW MORE ABOUT A COMPLETE STRANGER! OR DO HANYOU'S EVEN _HAVE_ LAST NAMES!"

That stopped his laughter. His face hardened instantly and Kagome regretted her angry words.

"...Let's just get this over with."

"Uh... right. Ahem... _sir_, I need to see your learner's permit please. And while you get that for me, if I could get your age, please?"

"_Now_ you're polite... Keh... I just turned 140 last week." He mumbled as he waded through the jungle of his wallet. "... I know I put it in here somewhere..."

"... I'm sorry, how old did you say you were?" _Surely I just heard him wrong. Even if he isn't human, he can't be that old and look_ that _good!_

"I just said! I'm one... hundred... and... for-ty years old! Is that so hard? Or do I need to use littler words for ya?"

"There is no need to be rude! It's just that... you... you don't—"

"...'look that old.' I know. I thought you knew that we don't age the same as you humans? ...where is that damn thing!" With the last statement, Inu Yasha dumped a wad of papers onto Kagome's previously organized and clean desk.

"Hey! You'd better pick all that up again!"

"... I know its here!...It has to be here!"

"What are you looking for?"

"What do you think, moron? My permit!"

"... You don't have your PERMIT!"

"Easy, wench! I have sensitive ears, ya know!" he rubbed at two spots through his hat with a pained expression on his face.

_So that's how he knew I wasn't an English speaker..._

"Dammit! Its not here!"

"You don't have your permit?"

He just stared at her.

"Then you'll have to re-schedule, I'm afraid. When did you want to come in again?"

"Can't I go get it real quick and come back!"

"I have another appointment at 1 o'clock. You couldn't make it back in time!"

He grinned, exposing pearly fangs just longer than a human's canines. "Heh. That sounds like a bet to me..." Kagome had had enough of this.

"I'm so sorry!" Kagome pressed one hand to her chest and the other gently on his hand. Flustered by this unexpected reaction, Inu Yasha felt blood rush to his face and yanked his hand away like hers would burn it.

"Oi! 'Sorry' about what!"

"...That you are stupid enough to hear things that weren't said. Now what time would be good for you, say, tomorrow? I've got a few openings..."

"Wench! Don't make fun of me!"

"How about the same time as today? Sounds good. Alright, then. See you tomorrow! Have a nice day!" and with that she stood, took his arm and escorted him out the door. He was too surprised to fight. He didn't realize what had just happened until the door slammed behind him.

_Wench! I'll show her... hmm... _he noted her smell lingered on the arm she was holding. _Smells nice... wait! What the hell! No way I'm gonna think about the bitch like that!_

As he got in his car and drove off, Kagome couldn't help but notice that he kept sniffing his arm...

_Weirdo._

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. She got off work at five, as usual and had just enough time to stop by her place and grab a quick cup-o-noodles for supper before leaving for her evening classes.

_God bless whoever invented instant noodles! Precious, life giving, 20 cent noodles!_

When she got out of her last class at 10, Kagome nearly collapsed on the bench to wait for her train. That was the one thing she didn't mind about New York: the subway.

_It had been much worse at home! Here, it wasn't crowded! There were none of those jerks who had to shove people into the stupid train just to close the door!_

She sighed and whipped out her cell phone to text message Sango. There had been two others who'd come from her school to study in America, another girl, named Sango, and a boy named Miroku. She'd never met them before, seeing as the school was so large. But they had to stick together now that they were in this strange country.

She and Sango became fast friends and Kagome wondered how she'd gotten this far in life without her. Miroku, on the other hand, was a completely different story. He'd earned the nickname, "Ruroni Te", which means "wandering hands" or "masterless hands"... spending more than ten minutes with him told you why. While it was nice to be admired, it was quite another thing to be constantly groped.

Especially when its by your best friend's boyfriend.

Kagome never understood why Sango put up with him. They'd been high school sweethearts, dating on and off for almost five years. Every time he'd screw up, for some reason, Sango always took him back.

Thinking about it always ended with Kagome muttering, "Whatever."

**Sango, nvr guess! Hottie at work: jerk! Details 2 come! –K**

After she put her phone away, she quietly speculated about Inu Yasha.

_He was really good looking until he started talking... sigh... oh well, I'm not here for love, I'm here to learn! But I wish I could show this guy to Sango! She'd flip! She's never seen a half-breed before. Huh... half-breed... I was just guessing when I called him a hanyou. He didn't deny it was true but... I wonder..._

She was wondering so much, so nearly missed her train.

_Stay focused, girl! Just get home and do your homework. Talk with Sango and GO- TO- BED!_

Smiling to herself, she got settled on the train and looked out the window at the lights of the city.

It had been a long day.

…

…

A/N: Well? What do you think? This is only my second fic ever, so I'm blissfully unaware if I'm doing something cliché or not... that would really suck. But I don't think I am! Hopefully, you guys'll have liked this and will review!

Hint, hint!

(man, I've never written this much in one chapter! Its kinda cool...)


	2. Ramen, Anyone?

Disclaimer: I don't own this stuff. None of it. Well, at least not anything you've heard of... if you've heard of it, it ain't mine. Okay. Glad we cleared that up...

A/N: Well... I wrote this at 11 a.m. and it is now almost 6 p.m... why am I telling you this, you wonder? Well, kind sirs and ladies, I tell you that this hasn't been posted yet because my beta reader, Ikustioa, my sis, has been sleeping all this time... (sigh) curse my lack of editing skills... anyway... might as well move on with my shout outs! Just so you know, until such a time as change is needed, I tend to reply to every comment left. So if you comment, I'll respond (more than likely)!

**ArtemisMoon**: thank you so much for actually reading it! Last time I was too impatient to wait for sis to read it, so it has a lot of mistakes... but this time... uh... maybe I should ask you to beta...? How are you with editing?

**And to whoever left the anonymous comment**: who are you? Thanks for reviewing! You make my soul happy! So why not get credit? Eh? Speak up! (just kidding... mostly)

So here's the second installment, hope you enjoy and if there are people who are reading this but not reviewing... shame on you. Always review!

ps... there is some japanese in this chapter. i put the translations immediately afterwards and in bold. if there's something wrong with my japanese, sue me. i took it for two years in high school and quite frankly... for now, its good enough!

02-23-06 A/N: Yay for spring cleaning:) Hopefully f f .net won't screw with the format too much…

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_I just want to crawl into bed and never come out again..._

The thought of never stepping foot in the DMV again sounded like heaven.

_Although... that would mean I wouldn't get to see that guy again... he was hot... but why should I care about him! What a jerk! Nobody can be that much of a jerk and look that good... NO! Bad Kagome! Don't think of him like that! Just wait until you get home and dump all this on Sango... let her poke fun at you and move on._

Even then, Kagome knew she wouldn't get off that easily.

"So what was up with this guy?"

"Sango, I already told you! He walks in looking like a god until he opens his mouth to call me a—get this—'wench'! Honestly! Who says things like that? Anyway. He turns out to be the king of A-holes Anonymous and now he has to come _back_ again tomorrow because the genius forgot to bring his permit with him!"

When Sango remained quiet, Kagome began to get nervous. She realized her friend was boring holes in the back of her head and quickly felt her face burning red.

"What?" Kagome tried to sound casual, she really did. But Sango knew better.

"You like him. Admit it!" Sango was beginning to circle Kagome slowly, like a predator. This did not get past Kagome, and she began to look for escape.

"What! I so do not!" She was inching her way to the bathroom door... if she could make it before Sango got her...

"You... do... TOO!" Sango knew exactly where her friend was headed and ran to cut her off. They collided when Kagome tried to out-run her but failed—like usual. And also like usual, they ended as a heap on the floor: Kagome nearly in tears and Sango tickling like mad.

Once the girls regained the ability to speak coherently, they decided to drop the issue and opted to sleep, as tickling and being tickled are very tiresome businesses.

While lying in bed, though, it seemed as though Kagome's mind hadn't gotten the memo about dropping the subject of a certain hanyou.

Ever since she started "noticing" boys, she'd developed the habit of automatically rating guys as she met them. Whether seriously or not, she would consider what kind of potential mate they were.

Sure, it was a little juvenile, but it had been fairly accurate thus far: of those she pursued, most turned out almost exactly as she'd figured they would.

And that was the problem with Inu Yasha. When she first saw him, it was like a movie or something really corny like that.

She really thought for just a moment that he was right for her.

_Until he started talking... why are men so stupid? ... why am I so stupid? Why am I even thinking about him? Argh! Nope. I won't go through this again... I refuse to do this to myself. I will not go through another unrequited crush! ...but what if it isn't unrequited? NO—bad me! Kagome... just shut up and go to sleep... you'll see him tomorrow anyway._

Snuggling into her pillow, Kagome didn't even realize she was smiling as she fell asleep.

…

…

_Ugh. Tuesdays. Only slightly better than Mondays..._

Kagome hated waiting. She was not a patient person. She never had been.

_Where is he!_

Kagome glanced at the clock again.

12:12.

_He's late! Of all the nerve!_ Kagome began tapping her foot to some unknown rhythm to vent her frustration. Mary 2 noticed this, along with the rapping of her short finger nails on the desk, added to her sighing and frequent gazes at the clock.

"HA! Look! Da partimmer's been stood-oop! HA!"

This got Kagome's attention rather quickly. But by the time she'd whipped her face around to silence the old lady, the other had joined in.

"Eh wander ef maybeh it was the fetchin' boy-o frum yestardey?"

"Chew mean de hoonk? Wit' dat long 'air? Woof!" After making a face Kagome didn't think was possible with that many wrinkles, the little Hispanic lady began to fan herself and eye Kagome critically.

She felt her cheeks stain instantly when she understood. The lady was seeing if they would make a "good match." She did it to all the couples that came into the office. After a moment, she shook her head, her many chins swaying furiously at the movement.

"No weh. Chee's too skinny!"

"Are ye outta yar mind? Too skinny? It's 'er hips' eh'd warry 'bout meself!"

Kagome did not appreciate this. "Excuse me. But no, I have not been 'stood up,' because I do not have a date! I am irritated because that young man made an appointment and didn't keep it! And that is all! Now will you please stop discussing ... _that_!"

The two ladies were absolutely dumbstruck.

"An ah-pint-ment, eh?"

Kagome breathed audibly in relief. _Thank heavens. The last thing I need is for those two to think that..._

"So dat's wat dey call it dees deys!" The other one cut into Kagome's thoughts and began cackling loudly.

She was really starting to dislike this country.

With the two crones giggling madly and whatnot, Kagome didn't have to mutter under her breath what she thought of this situation... they were so loud, they couldn't even hear her anyway! She needed to vent her frustration in the easiest and most childish way she knew: name-calling.

"Baka. Inu Yasha wa totemo... totemo baka desuyo! Kakkokunai! Sutekijanai! Baka! Baka! Baka!"

"**Stupid. Inu Yasha is so... so stupid! He's not cool! He's not attractive! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!"**

"Oi! What crawled up your butt today?"

Kagome froze. Even her blood seemed to stop momentarily.

"Wench. I asked you a question! Or didn't you know? Boku _mo_ Nihonjin desu."

"**I _also_ am Japanese."**

Even through her shock at his speaking Japanese—and standard, _polite_ Japanese nonetheless, Kagome caught the vanity in his tone. That did not serve to ease her temper.

"Nani! Chigau! Eigo wo hanashimasu! Soshite, Anata wa gaijin desu!"

"**What! That can't be! You speak English! Besides, you're a foreigner!"**

"You thought wrong. My family is originally from Japan. I moved here about 50 years ago. Sorry to disappoint you, but you can't make fun of me in Japanese unless you're spoiling for a fight. Now, will you tell me why you were yelling at me?"

"Eetoo... gomen—choutomatte, kudasai!"

"**Umm... sorry—wait a second!"**

"English, woman! Where do you think you are!"

"Sorry. Wait. Not sorry! You idiot! Your appointment was for 12 o'clock! _12 o'clock!_"

Inu Yasha stared at her like she'd sprouted another head. "And?"

"_And_ it is past 12 o'clock. By about 15 minutes! In another 15 minutes somebody—_on time_—will come to take _their_ test!"

"Go on..." His look acknowledged that she was trying to convey a message to him, he knew it... but for the life of him, he couldn't figure what she wanted to get across.

"Inu Yasha! It takes 20 minutes to go through all the paperwork and the test! You don't have time to do it today! You lose! You have to come back _again_ another day." And with that, she turned on her heel, chin in the air, and marched back to her desk.

As she began to fill out some arbitrary paperwork, curiosity got the better of her and she ventured a look at Inu Yasha.

Her gaze was greeted by two golden ice cubes aimed for her head. She winced slightly as she noted he was still in the same position as when she'd walked away. He hadn't budged, except to glare at her.

_Not good..._ "So... when's good for you to come in next? Tomorrow, usual time?"

"Keh."

"I'm sorry... you've said that several times now, but I'm sure I don't know what it means. 'Keh'? Is that a certain dialect? I'm afraid they didn't teach us that in school."

From the look on his face, it was more than obvious that he had no clue whether she was serious or just messing with him. "Whatever, wench. Tomorrow is fine." He turned to leave, but Kagome pursued.

"No, I mean it! What does 'keh' mean? Or were you just clearing your throat? If that's the case, are you sick?" She placed a hand on his forehead, brow furrowed in mock concern.

Inu Yasha pulled away like she was infected with Ebola.

She ignored his reaction and continued her musings aloud. "Nope. No fever... what could it be?"

Kagome was really enjoying this. It was obvious that he was painfully uncomfortable. He was practically squirming under her gaze. And she was loving every second of it!

As a matter of fact, she'd forgotten why she'd _started_ looking at that toned, defined body in the first place...

"OI! Earth to wench!"

"ACK! What?"

"Heh. You were staring!"

"Was not!"

"Was so!"

"Not!"

"So!"

Kagome remembered arguing with her brother back home and decided it was time to bring out the big guns.

"So!" She had to try to not smile... she knew exactly what he'd say to that...

"Not!"

"Indeed. Not. Oh, I'm so glad we agree! It would be a shame to wreck the lovely friendship we've developed."

"Oi! We ain't friends! And I didn't agree with you!"

"What? But you said, 'not'... didn't you?"

"...Maybe I did, but I didn't mean it! You tricked me into saying it!"

Kagome was officially fed up. Attractive or not, she could only put up with his jerk-aura for so long.

"Oh, for crying out loud! You... you SUCK!" And a hand immediately shot to cover her mouth. _I cannot believe I just said that to him! Stupid, stupid Kagome!_

A smile had come over Inu Yasha's face. "Heh. Is that so?"

"I... I'm sorry. I really didn't mean that."

"But didn't you say it?"

"But I was ... that is... you just were making me so angry that it just came out!"

"So now we're even." Kagome looked into his eyes to see what he meant. Or just to look, it didn't really matter...

_He's being sincere... he means it!_

"Wait... what do you mean, 'we're even'? Even for what?"

"You tricked me into saying something I didn't agree with. I tricked _you_ into saying something you didn't mean. Even."

"I..."

"See you tomorrow, wench. Same time?"

"Uh... yeah... sure."

And he turned to walk out the door, throwing a vague but intentional wave over his shoulder at her in the process.

Kagome slumped into her seat, stupefied and in utter defeat. Not only was he really just too attractive, but he could play mind games as well as she did...

_This is not good... must not fall for asshole... must not fall for asshole... must not fall for asshole...oh, crap! This isn't good._

She began filling out the paper work she'd put off while waiting for him to arrive, still mulling over how to suppress these urges to jump on him every time he walked in...

_I read that book in an English lit class... it was just a few years ago that it came out over here and they made the movie... oh what was it? ... Ah! Bridget Jones's Diary! Right! Now what did she say when she was trying to not fall for her dreamy but jerk of a boss? ...oh, yes... I am an ice queen... I am an ice queen... hey, that really works! If I can keep my cool, then I think I'll be okay..._

Suddenly, Inu Yasha poked his head in the door, spoke and left.

"And yes, you _were_ staring!"

The two older ladies had been watching the entire time and now busted out in outrageous laughter.

"Tell meh, lassie, whun's the wedden?"

"Si! Wen choo going duress chopping?"

As her embarrassment and anger levels rose, her face flushed crimson, which only made the matrons cackle all the louder.

"Oh! Mek way fur the blooshin bride!"

That did it.

"CHIGAU!"

"**YOU'RE WRONG!"**

And with that, mortified, Kagome excused herself and clocked out a little early. She needed to relax. She could practically feel the stroke coming now...

_I think I'll see what Sango is up to about now. She always knows what to do in these situations..._

Kagome IMed her friend, telling her she'd be home soon.

Looking at her watch, she saw that she'd just missed the bus and the next wouldn't be here until she usually took it. And that was about three hours away...

_Sigh... I guess this means I'm walking! It'll be faster than waiting..._

An unusually cold gust of wind nearly toppled her over during her musings. Muttering curses to herself, she wrapped her jacket tighter and started walking the ten blocks to home.

_Why oh why didn't I buy a car? Oh... no money, right, right... sigh... Sango has a car, but she worked her butt off to get it. She has been here longer than me, I suppose._

Kagome was nearly frightened out of her wits when someone on the busy street honked angrily out of the blue. Seeking to find the cause of the noise, she turned, expecting to see some greasy, fat, middle-aged man shooting the finger to another greasy, fat, middle-aged man. Instead she saw a shiny red motorcycle cutting across three lanes of traffic with a shock of silver-white hair flowing from underneath the red helmet.

_If I didn't know any better... I'd say that looked like Inu Yasha... hmph. Now I'm seeing him where he's not. He doesn't drive a motorcycle! He drives a 1968 candy-red mustang. Not a stupid bike. Besides, Inu Yasha left ten minutes ago. And how could he take a test on a motorcycle? Ha! He couldn't. Not even he's so stupid as to bring a bike to a driving..._

The bike was headed for _her_. She stood there, gaping at the leather-clad figure on his bike.

When the figure stopped the bike on the side walk next to her, she considered running, but her legs didn't seem to want to move.

The man still was wearing his helmet with its tinted face, so she couldn't see him, but he could see her.

Then she heard a muffled shout originating from behind the visor.

"Oi! What? I got the plague?"

"_Inu_ _Yasha_!"

"Duh!"

"What...? You... bike... but left... a ...huh?"

"Brilliant, Holmes. Yes, this _is_ a motorcycle." He said it slowly, as if she was a child. Bristling at the insult, Kagome found her tongue.

"I can see that! I was surprised to see you riding one, though, seeing as how you were just in the office to take your driving test!"

"Oh. Yeah, I guess this would be pretty confusing, huh?"

"Indeed."

"Keh. Don't be so touchy, wench."

"Kagome."

"What?"

"It's my name, genius! Now use it! I'm not 'wench,' and I never have been! I do not serve you food or drink, and have a perfectly fine name, and henceforth, you will use it!"

Inu Yasha looked shocked. "'Henceforth'? Who talks like that!"

Kagome's death glare wiped the grin off his face. "Oi! Fine! Whatever, alright? Now did you want to hear why I'm riding this bike or not?"

"Yes, please."

"Keh. That's what I thought. Anyway, I don't have my license yet, so I can't drive my baby. So I keep her parked about a block away from the DMV in a nice garage. I normally just take out my bike. Its much easier, but I'm gonna have to drive a car someday. Following me so far?"

"Yes. Thank you," she said tersely.

"Hmph. So... I usually ride the bike, but for the past two days, at noon, I've come to the garage, left the bike, taken my baby and gone to the DMV. Happy?"

"So why were you late if you're only a block away?"

"..." His silence was intriguing. Kagome pursued. "What? Did you get lost or something?"

"NO! I did not get _lost_!"

"So what, then?"

"... I didn't have enough change to go through the toll bridge I usually take. I had to turn around to go home and get it, alright!"

Kagome was doubled over with laughter.

"OI! Wen— dammit! _Ka-go-me_! It's not funny." The ears atop his head were flat in irritation. "Dammit, your guffawing is hurting my ears, woman!"

"So...rry... hee hee..."

"So. That's my story. Now let's hear yours. Why are you walking alone in this neighborhood? Don't you drive?"

"Yes, I drive! I just don't own a car, thank you very much!"

"Touchy, touchy! But that doesn't explain why you're walking. Why don't you take the bus?"

"I just missed it. I ...uh... took the afternoon off, so I'm not used to catching this one, but the next isn't coming until I usually get off of work, so I thought it'd be wiser to just walk the ten blocks and defrost at home. Happy?"

"Happy? Whadda'ya mean, 'happy'?"

"I told you why I'm walking. Are we through? Its chilly out here and I want to just go home. I missed my lunch waiting for SOMEBODY to show and there's a packet of roast beef ramen with my name on it."

Inu Yasha twitched when she said the word "ramen."

"...you like ramen?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm poor, so it's all I really can afford!" Kagome smiled. "I don't mind, though... it's almost as good as back home, in my opinion. My roommate hates it. She's such a purist."

Inu Yasha turned to his bike and grabbed the extra helmet, thrusting it at Kagome's middle. "Put it on."

"WHAT? What is going on? Inu Yasha, what do you think you're doing?"

He was in the process of taking his leather jacket off and handing it to her.

"Put it on. You'll freeze to death. Can't have that! Then who'd I bug at the DMV?"

Dumbstruck, Kagome silently did as instructed. She couldn't help herself, and inhaled the jacket on an impulse. _Oh god, he smells good!_

"Oi! Freak! Quite sniffing my clothes and get on the damn bike!"

"What!"

"Did you think I was gonna let you walk home? Now ... GET... ON!"

Sitting behind him, Kagome tentatively reached her hands out to either side of his waist, but decided to go for the shoulders, just to be safe. Hot or not, he was practically a stranger! So why was she taking him up on his offer?

"Keh. You'll fall off like that. Here." And he took her hands and placed them firmly around his waist. "Just hold on. And don't get any ideas, back there!"

"Heaven forbid." Kagome sarcastically retorted.

"Now where do you live?"

Kagome was still shell-shocked. He had been so nice to her...

He had rescued her from having to walk, given her his own jacket off of his warm, toned back... put her hands around his firm, muscular middle... _AARGH! ICE QUEEN! ICE QUEEN! ICE QUEEN!_

When they'd gotten to her apartment building, she didn't know what to expect.

"So... can I come up?"

"WHAT! YOU PERVERT! YOU THINK THAT JUST BECAUSE YOU GAVE ME A RIDE HOME I'LL SLEEP WITH YOU!"

"OI! WENCH! KEEP IT DOWN! And who said I wanted to sleep with anybody! You said you had ramen!"

"... Yeah, so?"

"SO... I told you, I'd give you a ride in exchange for lunch! Didn't you hear me?"

"Apparently not."

Things deteriorated from there and their lovely little "date" ended with Kagome throwing a few packets of ramen from her window to a hungry and impatient Inu Yasha on the street.

She refused to let him know exactly where she lived, and he refused to leave without compensation.

It was the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

…

…

A/N: Wow! 11 pages! That is so a record for me! Happiness to all who read this fic! I like it and I have a feeling it really is gonna get good! So ask me questions or stuff if you guys want... anything, really! Just review. That's all that matters. Seriously. ;) (Beta note: I like sleep, but don't fret, Artemis, I got 'er covered. ;D –Ikky)


	3. Letters from Home

Disclaimer: I don't own him, her, or any of em... except for the two little old ladies... their mine!

A/N: Man, its been a while, huh? Sorry bout that... anyway... I'm back now! And I am so happy that people are reading this fic! Keep it up, ladies and gents! The more reviews I get, the happier I am, the better my writing is as well as the happier it will be... (my other fic is not a comedy by any stretch of the imagination so its nice to have a lighthearted story, too! Now, on with the shout-outs!

**Erica6060: **thank you for reading! You get a star sticker!

**Midnight dancer:** ooh, fun! I like the way you think! (which seems to be similar to the way I do, ergo...)

**Ixchen:** its funny—well, strange that you should say that, since I my other fic is very much a drama! I was scared that I wouldn't have any good ideas to make it funny, but my muse hasn't ditched me yet! (Aside from the whole total writer's block for two weeks almost... grumble, grumble...)

**DramaQueenABZ:** (stunned and happy silence) YAY for you! But I have to admit that I can't edit worth poo. Not even stole poo, I think... anyway, its my sis who is the grammatical genius, so I bug her and make her beta my stories.

**Tigeris: **thank you for still making the effort to find my second chapter! I hope this one doesn't cause you trouble... And I'm glad you liked the A-holes Anon thing... I almost didn't use it, but I thought, what the heck and left it in!

Ookay... enough stalling! On with the chapter!

02-23-06 A/N: Making some good progress here…

…

…

4:35

Her alarm clock silently watched as Kagome creaked a red eye open for the millionth time that night.

_Ugh... I can't live like this... stupid boys! First they take up all your spare time... then they keep you awake all night! ... ... NOT LIKE THAT! Bad me! Ice queen... Ice queen... sigh... why can't I stop thinking about him?_

Kagome turned on the lamp and grudgingly began her morning ritual.

Careful not to wake Sango, she padded in her slippers out of their room and into the kitchen. Normally, she wasn't one to drink coffee, but somehow she had a hunch she'd need it today...

_Stupid, stupid males! I don't have to be at class for another four hours... sigh... damn, he looked good in that leather..._

While her mind explored that line of thinking, Kagome let herself spill the hot water on to the counter-top... where her hand had been resting...

"AAH! ITTAII!"

"**OWIE**!"

For the third time since she'd left her bed that morning, Kagome found herself cursing the opposite sex.

"...'Gome... wud's going on?" Sango stumbled into their kitchen, hands aimlessly scratching here and there.

_Shoot_!

"Oh! Sango-chan, I'm sorry! Go back to bed! I just burned my hand... I'll be fine... go back to bed, okay?"

Sango was instantly alert. "You burned your hand! Kagome! It's not even five o'clock in the morning! Why are you even awake!"

"Uh... hehe... probably because I never really fell asleep...?"

"And why is that, pray tell?" Sango seated herself at the table of their dinette set, yawning and pleasantly scratching at her drowsiness.

"Wha-Sango-chan, go back to bed. You need to sleep!"

"Like you don't? ...You were thinking about _him,_ weren't you?" Sango already knew the answer, but it was just too much fun picking on her roommate.

The crash of the kettle said more than Kagome ever could have.

"N-no! I was not thinking of _him_, thank you very much!"

"Oh. Sorry. I guess I was wrong."

"Indeed."

"SO, who were you thinking about? Honestly, woman, you go through more men than anyone else I know..."

"What! Sango! Quit laughing! I mean it! That isn't funny!"

Through the tears and choked laughs, Sango managed to speak, "So... heh heh... what time is lover boy coming in today?"

"Same ti—DON"T call him that!"

"Ooh! Aren't we protective? This guy must be good if you're being so defensive of him! I think I'd like to meet him... noon, right?"

"Yeah... why?"

Sango rolled her eyes and shrugged innocently.

"Oh no you don't! I know that look! Don't you dare! I don't want you to play matchmaker for me, alright!"

"Why, Kagome! Whatever could you mean?"

After a moment, the two friends couldn't hold it in any longer. By the time they finished laughing and Kagome finally made her coffee, it was time for Kagome to catch her bus for her math class.

Staring out the window, she recapped the week's events to date.

_Okay... Monday... class, (shudder)... then I came to work... ugh. The ladies left me for their "lunch" break... and Inu Yasha came in... Tuesday... class again, um... Inu Yasha again? Why is it that time goes so slowly while I'm waiting for him?_

_Why am I even thinking about this!_

Frustrated, Kagome decided that was enough recapping for now.

_Okay. Today is Wednesday. What's on tap for today... ugh. Math. ...math... oh my _god_! MATH! I have a test today! I was gonna study after that idiot had taken his test! How could I forget?_

_I am gonna kill him!_

And she spent the remainder of her commute plotting to herself about what to do with the walking ball of confusion and leather.

…

…

Kagome had to congratulate herself.. She truly was inspirational! To think, she had been worried about a little thing like this...

She had arrived to work in a foul mood to begin with. The test had _not_ gone well, to say the least, and then she was greeted by her co-workers on their way to lunch. It was only 10:52...

So it happened that she was taking calming breaths when she noticed her mail.

That was odd. First, why was it _here_? Traditionally, mail is sent to the recipient's home...

She racked her brain for reasons as to why this letter was on her desk... come to think of it, when had she even checked her mail last? It had been almost a week, hadn't it? It was just so hard to find a good time to go without missing the bus, or this or that... It was last ...Tuesday that she checked her box last. She was on her way out of the apartment complex and had a minute to spare, so she checked the box and emptied the contents into her school bag for later examination.

But she didn't remember this one.

This was hand addressed. It looked almost familiar at first. But why was it on her desk today? And why did it look like it had been opened and closed again—

_Wait. Those two old crones! They wouldn't stoop so low as to go through my mail! Would they?_

She turned the envelope over in her hands again. It looked really... crumpled...

_Ah. Steam! I bet this fell out of my bag last week and they thought it was a love letter or something, so they used steam to try and open it. Which would explain why it shows up now, obviously re-closed._

They had used a glue stick, most likely, she decided. Sighing, she opened her letter to see what all the hullabaloo was over. Inside the envelope were two things: a letter to her and another envelope also addressed to her, but in Japanese.

In poorly written English, she read the note addressed to her:

Dear Kagome-chan,

Sorry to take you by suprise! We just found out! Knew you would be happy to see a friendry face, so hope you can picking him up from the airport when he gets in Friday. Hope things are well with you!

Much love,

Mom, Souta and Grandpa

P.S. How is my English? Pretty good, isn't it? I have ben practicing so that when _I_ come to visit _I_ can speak with the Amelicans like you do!

She had to smile. Sometimes her mother was just too cute. It was a challenge getting through her writing, though!

Then it hit her: Who's _coming to visit me? On Friday! Which Friday! Day after tomorrow? Oh my god..._

Then it occurred to her to read the other letter in hopes of clarification.

This was written in Japanese in very nice penmanship. But there was no return address.

_Oookay... whatever. The name will be at the end of the note, I'm sure._

Unfolding the letter was like rushing back home again. Looking at the characters, she felt a rush of emotion. She always was such a sentimentalist. But she really did miss Japan and seeing her native language brought a flood of memories back to her.

As she began to read, however, her private moment was shattered by the delicate tinkling of the bell which hung over the DMV door.

Time stopped dead in its tracks.

She was sitting in her desk, her hair disheveled, as that was part of her morning routine—after class, she'd come to work, the biddies would go to lunch for a few hours and she would clean herself up—brush her hair, even wash her face in the bathroom sink.

So there she was, in all her unkempt glory, eyes red and puffy from her interrupted moment, tears fresh on her face... starting back at the last person she wanted to see.

"Oi. What happened to you?" Inu Yasha sauntered over to her—trying to look like he wasn't concerned. Kagome couldn't help but notice the worry and confusion embedded in his gruff voice.

"..._sniff_... it's nothing. Just a letter from home." Kagome began trying to re-fold the letter and put it away before he could see. She had no clue why she was so embarrassed over some letter from home. Why should she hide it? Yet her hands made no stay.

Looking over her shoulder, Inu Yasha spotted the letter written in Japanese and snatched it away.

From where the Marys were watching in the window, Inu Yasha and Kagome looked very much like a pair of thirteen-year-olds.

"What? This from your boyfriend or something?" he said as he waved the letter out of Kagome's reach.

"No! Now give it back! That's mine!" She was jumping to grab it from him but he always was just out of reach.

Inu Yasha was laughing softly as he watched her struggle.

But he stopped laughing when she jumped on his back.

"GIVE ... IT... _BACK_!"

His hands went instinctively to cover his sensitive ears. Kagome took advatage of his weakness and grabbed the free half of her letter. She began to tug furiously, but nothing doing. The hanyou was not about to let her have it back.

"Oi! What do you think you're doing! Gedoffame!"

He shook her off and was pleased with his small victory for about a nanosecond until he heard the sound of paper tearing.

He heard the thud of Kagome hitting the hard floor and felt the hand holding the letter fall forward. He'd been holding the letter so tightly that when Kagome let go, his hand went flying from the released tension.

"...I-nu-ya-sha!" At the sound of her voice, he instinctively recoiled and slowly turned to face his punishment. She was pissed. And he was gonna get it.

When he was facing her again, she was still on the ground. She wasn't looking at him, but at the torn piece of paper in her trembling hand.

It was shaking, but not with fear or pain, his nose told him that much. Oh, no. it was trembling with _anger_.

He looked at the crumpled paper in her fist, then at his own hand, which was now holding only half of what should have been there. It took him a moment, but he finally put two and two together. His ears flattened against his head. This was not going to be pleasant.

At least he _thought_ she had let it go...

Kagome was inarticulate with rage. Pure rage. He had taken what was hers, teased her, humiliated her, and destroyed her letter from home—which she hadn't even read yet.

She looked at him. He was cowering where he stood—it was obvious he knew he was in trouble. She didn't want to stand up, she was too tired, but she wanted to be on the same level as him... so as to better establish her dominance. It was a dog thing. In a pack, there is the alpha male and alpha female. This alpha female was about to open some whoop-ass on a certain alpha male.

Her fist clenched again around her half of the letter and anger boiled again in her blood. She began to berate him for all she was worth.

"How **_dare_** you! Honestly! This was the first letter from home I've gotten since I came here. Not only that, but I hadn't even read it yet when you barged in here and decided to play bully with me! Then, you tease me. Then you tear it in half! I can't even read it anymore! I didn't even get a chance to see who it was from! You... you..."

Kagome proceeded to turn red in the face and managed to call him every bad word she had ever heard before and that was quite a large number, seeing as how she was trilingual.

**TEN MINUTES LATER**

"huff... huff... So there!" and she promptly began crying. It really wasn't that big of a deal. At least, it shouldn't have been. But for some reason, the fact that it was _him_ just made the situation unbearable.

She was tired from the lack of sleep, hungry just by cruel coincidence, looked like the living dead, and now was bawling her eyes out in front of the guy she was infatuated with.

_Peachy. Lord only knows what he thinks of me now..._

When she looked up, she expected to see him standing smugly with arms folded and a triumphant grin on his cocky face.

Instead, she saw him hovering unsurely over her, his arms prepped as if to ..._embrace_ her!

"GAH! Whudder yoo doing?" Her nose had become stuffy from all the crying. _Great... add it to the list..._

But Inu Yasha looked almost as upset as she felt. _Hmm... odd._

"Hey... look, don't cry..." He leaned over and extended a hand to help lift her off the floor.

Kagome looked into his eyes for any hint of ridicule or anything to show his true intentions. She almost started crying again when she couldn't find anything other than genuine concern and regret.

"Sorry... sniff..." Kagome rubbed her nose with one hand and tentatively reached for his with her other hand.

When she was safely on her feet again, Inu Yasha quickly turned his back on her and began nervously rubbing the back of his neck.

"No, I should be the one to ... ah, ap... apolo... dammit, this is harder than I thought!"

_He's apologizing! There is hope, yet!_

Then it hit her. _"harder than I thought"? ... you mean to tell me..._

"You've _never_ apologized before!"

"Don't rub it in! I said this was hard!"

His rising level of anger quickly dissipated to a sound pout as Kagome broke out in helpless laughter.

"Oi! It's not that funny..."

Through her tears, she managed to squeak out a "Yes it is."

Meanwhile, the old ladies cackled from their seats outside the DMV window. They were watching the two with great amusement and had began to discuss when the wedding would be.

When the two inside finally calmed down, Kagome went into the bathroom to clean up, since she hadn't had the chance to before.

In passing, she checked the time. 11:23... _wait a minute..._ Kagome's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Inu Yasha?"

"Hm?"

"Why are you here?

"Are you that stupid! For my damn driving test, idiot!"

"WATCH IT, DOG-BOY! I _meant_, why are you here so early? Your appointment is for 12 noon! Same as the past two days." She called the last part as she sauntered into the small restroom and cracked the door to where she could still hear the hanyou's excuse.

"Whaddya mean?"

"I mean you said same time. That usually means just that, weirdo!"

"I'm not weird! And maybe I came early to get it over with, alright?"

"But if you don't have an appointment, I'm not giving you the test yet. It's the rules."

"... look, I have somewhere to be at noon today, so I can't come in at that time, alright!"

"Where do you have to be? Just tell them you have a prior engagement." She couldn't help but say that with a stuffy voice and a giggle at the end. He really was fun to talk to.

"Let's just say they don't know to expect me to begin with."

"What?" Kagome popped her head out of the door to look at him. That was not a normal answer.

"Never mind. Will you just give me my damn test so I can be on my way?"

"Hey! I am the one who will decide when things will happen here, alright? I am the employee!"

There was a moment of silence between them as she finished rinsing her face. She didn't really bother with makeup, except for special occasions. She put away her towel in the locker she had in the back of the office and went back to Inu Yasha.

"Fine. But you owe me—BIG time!" As if to put extra emphasis on the word "big," Kagome poked his nose with a slender finger.

That definitely took him off guard.

"Keh. Whatever, wench."

"Kagome!"

"Huh?"

"Do we have to go through this every day? Or should I just wear a name tag and help you out?"

"Keh."

Kagome threw her hands up in exasperation. "Let's just get this over with! I can't believe it's taken you this long to even take the test!"

"Shuddap! Hmph."

Kagome giggled as Inu Yasha pretended to be upset, folding his arms frumpily across his chest.

"Oh, knock it off. Do you have your permit?"

Inu Yasha rolled his eyes as he plopped down in the chair across from Kagome's desk. She took that for a yes.

"M'kay... do you have your updated registration?"

"Ye-ess..." He opened his leather jacket, dug around and procured the updated sticker. Kagome noted that this meant he was just too lazy to put it on the car himself... but decided to let it slide.

"Alright... and do you have your insurance with you?"

"YE—oh... hold on, lemme go get it." And he jumped up and ran out to his car.

Kagome sat there, twirling her pencil around her fingers, idly wondering what it would be like to be in a relationship with this odd boy—er, man, um, thing... whatever he was, it was decidedly attractive!

Cue daydream:

_Inu Yasha suddenly burst through the DMV door and stood standing in a very manly way, while a random breeze teased his gossamer hair. His eyes locked on hers and held them tightly._

_**My darling Goddess...** he called to her... **Come and run away with me. Please! I am begging you my sweet, stunning salvation! I must have you! **_

_And he scooped her tiny frame up in his rippling arms, his chest suddenly bare and shining inexplicably..._

_**Just one... kiss...** he leaned closer to her waiting, anxious lips. Her bosom was swollen with her passion as it heaved... Closer... closer..._

"OI! Wench! Pay attention when a man speaks to you!" A pair of clawed hands firmly gripped her arms and shook.

"AAH!" At the first note of her scream, he removed his hands to protect his sensitive ears.

"What the HELL is the matter with you! I came back to tell you I don't have my insurance and you just sit there, looking comatose! I half expected you to start drooling! AND... you were staring at me—again! Gods, woman, try to control yourself!" And he began a cocky laugh.

Her cheeks turned beet red. _I cannot believe I let that happen—again! Ugh! Wait!_

"You don't have your insurance!"

"Huh? Oh, nope. But that's just a technicality, right? I mean, c'mon!" he had stopped laughing and was trying to be charming.

But it wasn't going to work. Not today, at least.

"Sorry, bub. Rules. Are. Rules!"

"You've got to be joking! I need to be driving—_today_!"

"Hey! That isn't my fault! None of this has been my fault! Quit crying about it and go get your stupid insurance! By the time you get back, it'll be your scheduled appointment anyway!"

"Keh. You just don't get it do you? I told you already. I can't be _here_ at noon. I have to be somewhere else!"

"Then shouldn't you be going?" Kagome pointed to the clock.

With growing dread, Inu Yasha followed her finger to where it pointed and read: 11:56.

"SUNNOVA!"

He ran out of the door, actually tearing it out of its hinges.

"Hey! You're gonna pay for that, you jerk!"

But she doubted he had heard her, as he was already on his motorcycle. _Wait. How did he do that? He couldn't have gone all the way to the parking garage, gotten the bike and gotten this far on the road again... could he?_

This was just too weird for Kagome.

_Why can't I just find a nice boy to date for once in my life!_

As if on cue, the two old ladies waltzed in, jabbering away like a pair of squirrels. It seemed as though they didn't even notice that the door was torn off of the wall, or that the office was a total wreck.

Kagome just sighed and proceeded to clean up the mess that wasn't hers... she just shook her head and thought of how many times she had to pick up after her brother and grandfather back at the shrine...

_Some things never change... _

…

…

A/N: well? (looks hopeful) did you guys like it? I liked it. It was fun! For me, at least... anyway, I know I didn't get all the way through the day, but hey... its already twelve pages! Wow. Hey! Man, I love my sis! She just got me a crap-load of goodies on my FF vii file! WOOT!

(clears throat)

So, I will see you guys later!


	4. Cheesy

Disclaimer: I enjoy writing this too much. Ha.

A/N: So super sorry this took so long… I just haven't been um… I guess "inspired" to write for a while… I wrote this in three sittings instead of my usual one or two… but anyway… shout outs!

**Ixchen**- sorry about that wait… heh heh…

**Pillarchick**- hey, cuz! I'll try to get another chapter of either this or Karma out before we come to visit, alright?

**Erica6060**- (bows) thank you!

**Kody Leigh**- thank you! Heh, you'll get your wish soon enough!

**Lady hawk 89**- sorry I took so long… and I have to ask… is your name reference to the movie? I love that movie… Matthew Brodierick was so adorable! (fangirl squeal) … O.O … sorry… heh heh…

**DramaQueenABZ**- (blush) Wow. Thank you very much! I will do my best!

Enough of that… seeing as how that's all of you… (sigh) … at least you all are loyal… but still, one always would like more reviews… tell you guys what:

02-23-06 A/N: Wheee!

…

…

As Kagome was vacuuming the last of the woodchips from the broken door, she was still pre-occupied with her thoughts of the frustrating hanyou and didn't notice the figure that had appeared where the door used to be.

"Kagome-chan…?" Sango carefully asked. "What happened here?"

"Oh! Sango-chan. Hey. Oh, this?" She looked around the disheveled office with drooping shoulders. "Inu Yasha came early today. Sorry you missed him. He'll be back tomorrow, though."

"What happened? It looks like a tornado went through here!"

So Kagome related the story to her friend.

Sango, was not pleased. "What a jerk! For him to put you through all that and then run off—making an even bigger mess in the process—and leaving you to clean everything up! The nerve!"

"Now, Sango-chan, he's not _that_ bad…"

"Why are you defending him? Kagome, this guy sounds like trouble—and I mean it! Why did he have to leave so suddenly?"

"He didn't tell me… but it could have been for anything! Just because he wanted to keep an appointment he just made with someone else over the one he had with me… doesn't make him… a …bad…"

Kagome's weak defense of the hanyou quickly dissolved under Sango's glare.

"I don't like it. I think I'll have a chat with this guy before you start dating," and she gave a small nod of her head and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I suppose—wait! Before we _what_! I am not—"

"Oh don't even deny it. You're dying for this guy and it's painfully obvious. But I don't know if you should be getting mixed up with this guy. There's just something about him that doesn't sit right with me…"

"Look, I don't want to talk about it right now, okay?"

"Fine. But don't think you've gotten out of this!"

"Hai, Okaa-san." Kagome replied with a submissive tone.

"**Yes, Mother.**"

Sango realized how she'd been sounding and both girls began laughing.

"Come on, lets get some lunch—my treat!"

Kagome had already dropped the handle of the vacuum and was getting her coat and purse. Laughing arm in arm, the girls went off to enjoy a nice dollar menu meal from Wac Donald's.

The day passed quietly, as though the universe could feel Kagome was about to go postal on the first thing she saw if something else went wrong before she went to sleep.

Lying snug in her bed, Kagome quickly began to drift off, exhausted both physically and emotionally.

_Stupid Inu Yasha. Boys ruin everything. If only he'd just stand there and look pretty instead of opening his big fat mouth and ruining everything he touches… oh well… tomorrow is the last time I'm gonna see him… unless he flunks the test… hmm… now there's an idea. If he fails, he'll have to come back again…_

She smiled at the idea of seeing him everyday and hugged her pillow a little tighter.

Time for sleep now… 

…

…

DREAM SEQUENCE 

…

…

Kagome was back in Japan… she was standing around these old ruins… she was in her high school uniform and in the distance she saw her friends waving for her to join them. Seeing them brought a tinge of nostalgia over her. It had been so long since they'd been together…

She ran to them, noticing that there were mostly families just milling about instead of students waiting to go to school. She soon shrugged it off and had to stop again to find where her friends had run off to.

Then a man came up and began speaking to her. She didn't really hear what he said, but she knew he was hitting on her. He wasn't so bad, but she wasn't really interested… so she flirted for a bit. He deserved something for his efforts, after all. Then, she had somehow caught up with her friends to find that Eri was holding a child! The baby was only a few months old and was not Japanese… it looked Chinese, actually. She thought to herself for a moment about how some people were so ignorant that they couldn't tell the difference. Then she asked how it was that Eri had a baby. Eri explained that it wasn't hers, but a girl in one of her classes didn't feel like carrying it around all day, so she had asked Eri to hold it for a while.

Kagome looked at the chubby baby and felt almost mesmerized. She asked if she could hold it for a while and her friends all laughed and commented about how Kagome was always meant to be a mother.

She resented that a little, but it didn't matter. She loved babies! Eri handed the baby to her outstretched hands.

Kagome promptly fell to her knees—the baby must have weighed 75 lbs! It was amazing! It looked like a normal baby, but it was so heavy she could barely stand up. Then her friends began to run off calling behind them that it was time for class to start and that Kagome had better hurry it up.

Holding the baby in her arms close to her chest for support, she began to jog as best she could. As she ran, she saw her family. She wanted to tell them it wasn't her child, but Eri's classmate. But they just smiled and waved and gave her a thumbs up of approval.

Frustrated, she continued running and glanced down to check on the baby. She was greatly concerned when she noted the child had latched firmly onto her breast.

She thought wryly to herself how awkward this was—and painful! The little booger was doing something down there but every time she looked down, it was smiling sweetly back at her, all innocence.

That was really annoying.

Then she saw her friends up ahead. She felt a ray of hope and called out plaintively that the child was biting her boobie!

Her friends just laughed knowingly, saying she had everything that the child wanted.

That really upset her.

She looked down at the child she'd been left with.

It looked back thoughtfully and spoke in a high-pitched voice:

CHI…CKE…N!

Startled, she watched as the child again spoke forcefully, demanding something of her.

CHI… CKE… N!

This was starting to really freak her out. She began to grow afraid of the baby in her arms, wanting desperately to get rid of it somehow… she looked up to where here friends were before, but they were gone.

She turned, searching for any familiar face. She needed help… but no one was there.

She was alone. With the freaky Chinese chicken baby that wouldn't leave her alone!

She began to cry. She wasn't really sad or afraid, but she just didn't want to be left alone. She wanted someone to rescue her…

In the distance, she thought she heard a noise and looked up sharply to see who had come for her…

Flowing silver-white hair… that was all she could make of the shadowy figure walking towards her… now the baby was demanding roast beef.

She begged for the figure to hurry.

The shadow continued inching towards her. All she could see was still the hair… but, wait! What was that? On the top of the figure's head… two lumps… like doggy ears?

Her heart soared. It was Inu Yasha! He had come to save her from the demon delicatessen child. Why it wanted lunch meat, she hadn't the foggiest… but it wanted bologna now… she called for him to run. The baby was getting heavier. She felt like she was sinking into the darkness, though all she could see was white.

The figure started to pick up the pace. Kagome's smile was blinding as she waited for her sexy savior. But it quickly faded again when she noticed he was limping. Was he injured? Her mind began to conjure excuses for why he was so late—again—and why he was hurt… a battle perhaps.

She became lost in her thoughts for a while as the shadowy outline grew steadily firmer in her sight.

He was really there!

She threw open her arms, calling out to him and forgetting about the baby until she saw it flying towards him.

Panic struck her very core—she'd thrown the baby at Inu Yasha! Who knows what it would do to him! It may go so far as to ask for some sort of aged cheese to go with his bizarre meat needs. She wouldn't let that happen!

Time slowed like in the movies as she launched herself between the flying demon infant and the silver haired hunk.

His eyes widened in horror as the baby entered Kagome's back like a bullet.

Suddenly it was raining. and she was lying in his lap, his damp hair dangling against her pale cheeks. She coughed weakly as he proclaimed that she couldn't leave him like this. But she knew it was too late. She was dying.

She asked her beloved for a single kiss… goodbye…

A tear rolled down her cheek as she saw his beautiful face contort in grief.

She noticed that he looked like an old man when he cried, his face scrunched up tightly.

He leaned closer… closer… she closed her eyes and pushed her lips weakly to meet his in her last and most fulfilling moments.

When she opened her eyes again, to look into his visage one last time, she screamed in pure horror.

She was no longer in the arms of her hanyou, but one of the old ladies from work!

She cackled at her in a thick brogue something about being a real "bonnie" lass but Kagome couldn't take any more.

She woke with a start from the nightmare, trying to calm herself.

Drenched in her own sweat and breathing like she'd just run a marathon, Kagome sat in her dark bedroom, trying to go over what had just happened in her dream.

Blindly she reached out to her bedside table and grabbed a small flashlight. Glancing at the clock she saw that it was 4:36.

_Well, that's one more minute than yesterday… ugh, I can't live like this!_

She opened the small drawer in her table open and pulled out a worn journal which she tucked into her robe as her slippered feet padded into the kitchen. This was a ritual she'd been through for since she learned how to write, it seemed. If a dream woke her up, she would immediately set it down in writing in her journal.

This particular journal had lasted her through almost five years. She flipped through the faintly musty pages looking at some of her old favorites.

There was the one she had when she was seven about the time that her cat Buyo went insane and was beating up Souta and Grandpa while Kagome kept trying to calm him down…

She smiled at the memory, thinking back on how frightened of the corpulent kitty she'd been after that dream… she wouldn't go near him for a week!

Once she found a clean page towards the back of the large journal, she set down what she could remember of her odd dream.

By the time she'd done that and gotten the coffee started, it was time to shower and get ready for the day.

She was already exhausted.

_Stupid Inu Yasha… I don't know how this is his fault, but I'm sure there's a reason…_

Sighing, she felt a headache coming on, already.

_I don't know how I am gonna make it through class today… I think he's graded the tests by now… ugh… today is not going to be pretty…_

And sure enough, by the time she got on the bus to go to work, she had a pounding headache not only from lack of sleep, but from being yelled at and thoroughly humiliated in front of the entire class for falling asleep during the lecture…

"Te' me, lassie: is that fine looken boy-o cumin' again tedah? Eh em tellin' ye, e' meh be ruff on te ears, but e' sure ain't too hard on te eyes!"

Kagome had her eyes closed and fingers massaging at the temples to relive her physical pain while trying to ignore the cackling of the desiccated bag of bones that was so loudly mocking her.

_Just shoot me. Strike me down, oh heavenly being… I don't know what I did to anger thee, but if you will end my misery now, I will be eternally grateful…_

She almost winced when she heard the bell on the frame of the door tinkle loudly, announcing company and rather than see who it was, the child inside won and she opted to just put her head down in hopes that whoever it was would either not see her, or just leave her alone.

Opening her eyes only enough to see what time it was on her wrist watch, she let out a loud screech upon seeing not the face of her sleek watch, but two unblinking, golden eyes not more than two inches from her own.

"DAMMIT!" Inu Yasha's hands flew to his sensitive ears protectively as he jumped a foot away from the source of the noise. "What the HELL is your problem!"

After catching her breath, Kagome promptly emptied her lungs again explaining to him exactly what her "problem" was.

His face paled at her sheer volume, if not her words. Finally, she resumed the position he'd found her in, head on the desk, this time, and firmly clasped by her arms as she sobbed to no one in particular how much she hated everything.

After a moment, Inu Yasha quietly asked, "Even me?"

Her head shot up. Surely he didn't just ask something like that! That was the kind of thing that the hunky bishonen would ask before he got together with the heroine of the story!

Her curiosity was met by a flash of blinding light followed immediately by uproarious laughter.

"Oh! You should have seen your face! (choke) (gasp) Do you have any idea how lame that line was? Man, that was too good! (snort) I just bought this little baby and I couldn't resist! Wait, here… I'll show you!"

Through the haze of her remaining tears, Kagome saw he was holding a sleek little digital camera and was fidgeting with the buttons…

"Here… (chortle)" he handed the silver camera to her.

Staring back at her was a horrific sight.

Her eyes were swollen to the size of Tibet and grossly red as certifiable waterfalls were pouring from each socket. There was a look of terrifying hope though that just made it unbearable. She looked pathetic.

And somehow, it was really, really funny.

"God, I look terrible… (sniff)" Kagome began to shyly giggle as she handed it back to the hanyou.

"I know! …but you feel better now, don't ya?"

Kagome looked up again. But there was no flash this time. Only a simple smile.

Even though she was sitting down, Kagome felt her knees go weak. He wasn't pulling any stupid stunts or making fun of her. He was trying to make her feel better.

_I am an ice queen… I am an ice queen … I … think my polar caps just melted…_

"So!" Kagome actually had to shake her head in order to bring her back to reality at the sound of his voice. "Let's get this damn thing over with." He plopped down in the chair in front of her desk and propped his feet up, looking quite pleased with himself, all traces of his sincerity and thoughtfulness gone like last months cheese.

"Well, for starters, let's check your documents. I trust you have them all?" She gracefully swiped his feet off her desk and began to straighten it up with an occasional self-conscious touch to her hair or wipe at her eyes.

"Keh. 'Course I do. Just ask and ye shall receive."

Kagome had to fight back a snort at hearing that. _Don't tempt me._

"Let's see… permit?"

"Check."

"Good." She ignored his growl to her patronizing tone and continued, trying only barely to conceal her smirk. "And… your insurance and registration?"

"Check, check, wench."

"Kagome."

"You know what I mean."

"**Kagome**."

"…Kagome…"

She smiled, proud of how she was handling his disappointing but predictable return to the indulgence of his inner child.

"All right, then! It looks like we're finally going to get this over with! Just let me get the rest of the papers…" She got up to look in the filing cabinet the crones had behind their desks.

The tinkling of the bell shot a spark of sudden panic through her.

_A walk in? We didn't have any appointments until after noon, did we? What time is it?_

She wheeled around to look at the clock.

The irony was beyond sickening.

12:32.

The stranger tried to speak with the two old ladies, but found it difficult to understand anything other than their shriveled fingers aimed at Kagome.

"Hi… I'm here for my appointment for 12:30… sorry I'm …late…?"

Kagome was laughing, holding onto the shoulder of the bewildered stranger for stability.

"Oi! What's so funny! Let's get this over with, dammit!" Straightening, Kagome walked back over to where the hunk had replaced his feet on her desk.

"Oh, I'm afraid that isn't going to be possible now. At least not today, it isn't. Do you see the time? Better yet, do you have an excuse for it? Because I would love to hear why you came in so late."

The look on his face was too perfect. The camera was within her grasp, as he'd left it on her desk earlier.

There was a flash and almost before it was finished capturing the moment, he was on his feet, chasing a squealing Kagome around her desk.

"GIVE ME THAT!"

"Hahahaha! NO! EEK! GET AWAY FROM ME!"

The forgotten newcomer cleared his throat awkwardly. He was not used to being in this kind of situation, that was for sure.

He stood almost as tall as Inu Yasha, but that was where most of the similarities ended.

He had long hair, too, but his was jet black and in a high ponytail atop his head. His skin was a lush, olive tan and he had surprisingly blue eyes. They weren't a normal, boring blue, but almost an aqua or teal color.

He wore a brown tee shirt and plain jeans and a worn in pair of running shoes. He was well built and stood confidently. Well, usually… right now he was a bit confused to say the least.

He was just going to take his driving test and immediately go and hit the road on the cross country trip he'd been promising himself since he graduated high school.

But when he walked in the door, he felt his legs freeze.

She was perfect.

Absolutely perfect in every single way possible.

And she was now being chased by some guy with claws, long silver hair and a foul mouth.

He did not like that.

"HEY! What is going on here!" the stranger shouted, trying to get the other man's attention.

He was ignored, though, and the other guy in the red shirt continued to chase _his_ woman.

After deciding he'd had enough, the stranger ran over to the feuding pair, grabbed the mystery beauty by the waist, tossed her over his shoulder and ran back to roughly where he was standing before.

…in about half of a second…

By the time Inu Yasha noticed Kagome was gone, he caught the scent of the stranger and locked eyes with him.

Inu Yasha didn't know how this guy had managed to waltz in here and steal Kagome out from his nose with out even realizing the guy was there, but he really didn't like it.

Right about this time it occurred to Kagome that she was no longer being chased. Not only was she not being chased, but she was, in fact, being held over someone's shoulder. And it was not Inu Yasha. And she was now back by the filing cabinet.

This did not sit well with Kagome.

Just when she was about to start screaming, she heard the tinkling of the bell at the door yet again and felt the head of her captor snap to the source of the sound.

It must have been quite a sight:

Papers still gently falling to the ground, chairs over-turned, the two Marys huddled in together, gasping for breath but still managing to laugh, a silver haired boy standing in front of Kagome's desk, panting and looking ready to kill, and a black haired boy with a frazzled Kagome thrown over his shoulder staring at the door.

Kagome recognized her friend immediately.

"Sango-chan! Uh… its not what it looks like?"

…

…

A/N: hee hee… sorry, Kody Leigh, you'll have to wait until the next chapter to get her reactions… but what did you guys think? I hope you liked it… btw, the dreams, are all based upon real ones… o.O strange, isn't it?

And of course you guys know who the "stranger" is… and I didn't mention his entrance before because I actually just added him on a whim, to be frank. Tee hee… but all's well that ends well, right? Right.

(cricket)

…I should go now… anyway, I will hope to hear from you guys soon! Merry Christmas if I don't update before then!

-M-

ps... My beta is sick! (sad face) So... I'm just gonna go ahead and post this as is... feel free to pretend you didn't see any of the typos you find... or whatever...

pss... oh, and I'm starting to do some different POV's, in case ya'll didn't notice... lemme know if it is too confusing or whatever...


	5. Kodak Moment

**Disclaimer: Yada yada yada… **

A/N: (cowers) Yeah… hi, guys… heh heh… been a while, huh? (braces for impact of sharp pointy things being thrown) I'm sorry it took so long! I really am! I had a lot of crap to deal with, but I'm doing better now and am (obviously) writing again!

So… yeah… um… reviewer responses:

**Ladyhawk89**- sweet! I so love that movie! XD

**Ixchen**- glad you liked it! Sorry I took so long!

**Pillarchick**- heh. Glad you approve, cuz. Email me some time!

**Houshichick08**- thank ye kindly!

**Erica6060**- "really cheese more"…?

**Kill Kikyo**- um, glad you like it, but its not over. Not by a long shot:D

**DramaQueenABZ**- heh. Me too! There's something refreshing about Koga's arrogance. Plus, he's just so blunt! I love that! (It's fun to write)

**Inuyashachick04**- don't worry, this is very much an Inu/Kag fic.

**Kgirl9113**- thanks! Glad you like it!

**Luvluvpettyhue**- don't worry, even if it does take me a long time to update, I won't quit writing. I hate it when a fic I'm reading just stops, so I wouldn't do that to ya'll.

**KiwiTNT**- thanks for reviewing! I'm sorry to have made you sad! Don't be! Be happy! Here! Look! New chappie!

**Sammery**- lol awesome. To be honest, getting your review was the last straw in making me get back on the ball!

On with teh show!

02-23-06 A/N: Git-R-Done!

…

…

"Sango-chan!" Kagome shouted from over the stranger's shoulder.

"What the _HELL_ is going on here?" Sango was rage personified.

The boy with Kagome gently but quickly put her down before he got in trouble. Sango glared at him angrily as her stunned friend ran to her side. He just pointed a silent finger at Inu Yasha, as if tattling on him.

Sango followed his finger to the other boy. The one in the red shirt. With silver hair. And …pointy ears…

Sango decided to begin the introductions, since the other three seemed incapable of coherent speech patterns.

"Ah. Anata wa Inu _Yasui_ desuka?"

"**Ah. You must be _Cheap_ Dog, huh?"**

Kagome snorted at her friend's pun. It might have been an honest mistake, but judging by the way Sango was looking at the boy's somewhat less than 5th Avenue attire, Kagome knew better.

And by the soft growl coming from the hanyou across the room, Inu Yasha didn't miss the jab either.

Kagome stopped snickering. From the looks these two were giving each other, nothing short of an alien invasion would distract her friend and Inu Yasha from open warfare.

"…Sango-chan—"

Suddenly, all eyes were pulled to the source of boisterous and growing howls of laughter from the newcomer.

"Oi! What's so funny, runt?"

Wiping a tear from his eye, the so-called "runt" straightened and addressed Inu Yasha with an insolent smirk.

"I'm just laughing at you. It seems this lady has managed to give you a truly perfect name. I thought you looked like an over-grown puppy, myself, but even a puppy knows when to be afraid of his masters…"

More growling. "Who the HELL do you think you are!" Inu Yasha sniffed the air and realized his opponent was a full-blooded wolf youkai. That explained the 'master' remark.

Sango and Kagome felt suddenly out of the loop. The stranger, ignoring the question completely, continued to push his luck as he prodded the incised figure across from him.

"I mean, how perfect is that? '_Cheap_ _Dog'_. Brilliance! I only wish I'd thought of it first…"

And with that, the laughter began anew.

Inu Yasha, deciding he'd had just about enough of this guy, was cracking his knuckles and mentally mapping out his route of dissection when, to his shock and horror, Kagome moved into his war path.

The only thing more surprising than that was the words coming out of her mouth and that for once they weren't directed at him.

"How _DARE_ you! Just who do you think you are? You can't just waltz in here and start picking a fight!"

Stunned, the stranger tried to defend himself in vain. "But he was chasing you! You were in danger and I saved you!"

"Excuse me? Did I ask for your 'help'? No! Everything was under control until you came in here, grabbed me and started acting like you owned the place! You can't treat people like this!" And to head off the comments she knew were coming, she added, "Or non-humans, for that matter!"

The demon began to feebly defend himself. "He-Hey…"

"No! You should be ashamed of yourself! You've never even met this guy before and yet you feel you have the right to make fun of him? What if I started making fun of you? Hmm?"

Realizing he was on a sinking ship, the boy tried to foist the blame to anyone else.

"What about her?" He pointed to Sango, who had been standing, dazed, while her friend tore the stranger a new one. "She said it first!"

Kagome slapped his hand away, nearly steaming with anger now.

"Leave her out of this! Or is it safer for you to run away and _hide behind a woman_?" The stranger's spine stiffened with the last comment.

Meanwhile, Sango was regaining her temper, though she was not sure who to blame for its original loss, and decided it was time to assuage her friend. Sango knew only too well what happened when Kagome lost her cool. She also had a funny feeling that this guy wasn't going to stay meek for too much longer. Kagome had an innate talent for finding people's buttons and smashing them with a large hammer.

"Hey… it's okay, Kagome-chan! I'm sorry for calling him that… I just was upset by walking in and seeing… well, what I saw…"

"Hmph." Kagome wasn't really mad anymore, but she had this guy ready to cream his pants and kind of liked it…

"Futari ga baka…"

"**A pair of idiots…**"

Sango just nodded knowingly as she took Kagome's arm.

"Souda, ne… Ja… Apato ni hirugohan de tabe mashou, ne?"

"**Isn't that the truth… So… why don't we go back to the apartment and have lunch, hm?**"

"…Eeh. Chottomatte, kudosai."

"… **Sure. Just a minute, please.**"

And with that, Kagome turned to the pair of ancient women and told them she was going on her lunch break and that _they_ could handle these two… problems. Then, Kagome grabbed her purse from the other side of the room, returned to her friend's arm, and left the building while being followed by four sets of silent and bewildered eyes.

The little old ladies had never seen her go off like that before… and in _defense_ of the handsome one who'd been coming by so often lately, no less… very interesting… the cogs began turning before the crones even knew it.

With the shriveled pair in their own world of other people's business, the two boys were left with nothing to do but stare at one another and try to figure out what had just happened.

…

…

Kagome had never laughed so hard in her life.

"Sango-chan… (gasp) Stop! Please! I'm gonna…(wheeze) gonna pee… my pants!"

Her best friend was relentless.

"Or was it more like this?" Sango asked as she donned a face dripping of utter stupidity and vapid shock. Her jaw was forced slack and back as she shrugged her shoulders, effectively making it look like she had no neck at all. Kagome erupted all over again as Sango began chuckling at her friend. In a terrible imitation of a deep voice that sounded like a thirty-year old pre-schooler, she sang out, "_She started it_!"

They'd been making fun of the boys for almost an hour now, and the management and wait staff was losing their patience, not to mention Kagome's diminishing control over her bladder.

As soon as they'd left the DMV, they'd started laughing about it. Kagome couldn't get over Sango's reaction to everything.

"The one with the hair… ooh. Not bad!" she said as she fanned herself. While Inu Yasha was by no means her type, she had to admit her friend was on to something there. That stranger wasn't too shabby either, though. But neither seemed boyfriend material.

_Kagome could do better_, she thought to herself as her friend ranted about the events leading to the scene she'd interrupted.

Now they were sitting in a nice (but still cheap) Mom and Pop restaurant with their barely-touched salads long wilted and complimentary breadsticks half eaten, half on the floor surrounding them and in each other's hair.

All in all, it'd been a good day— and it was only 3 o'clock.

…

…

When Kagome walked into the door of the DMV office she was in for quite a surprise.

Namely, it didn't open.

_Are? Hen desu…_

_What the? Odd…_ She looked in through the window and saw things almost exactly as she'd left them.

_Figures. Old biddies probably left as soon as the boys were gone. Come to think of it, that would have been something to see… Inu Yasha and …what is his name? Hm. Oh well… those two just standing there shocked…_

She giggled again, fondly at the thought.

_I seriously thought that Sango was going to kill someone. But that "Inu Yasui" thing was really funny. I wonder when she thought that one up? She's so smart that way…what time is it? I have speech class in a few hours… but I really don't want to bother… we're reviewing for the test today, anyway… well, that settles it. I wonder if the gym's open…_

Kagome wasn't big on "working out," really. But one of the first things she did when she got to America was to locate the most convenient means of bathing she could find. She'd heard horror stories from others who'd come back from staying in America, who said no one here took real baths but only showers… she shuddered to think of it.

But Sango had helped out. She'd done some scouting and found a little gym nearby that had a hot tub available for all members to use.

And right now, it was calling Kagome's name.

But first, she'd check in with Sango and see if she wanted to come with.

…

…

Sango had wanted to come, so Kagome was glad that she'd asked. She didn't know why, but she felt very much in a gossipy kind of mood. She wanted to have a girl talk.

But she didn't know how to bring it up. After lunch, for whatever reason, they hadn't brought Inu Yasha up again.

So as they soaked in the gym's hot tub, Sango took the first step.

Kagome's face was lying on her folded arms on the tub's rim before, and she wasn't really paying attention to the conversation, thinking instead about Inu Yasha.

"So… you like him, don't you?"

"What!" Kagome's face said she'd all but forgotten that Sango was even in the same room with her, nonetheless that she was capable of speech. To cover her mistake, she tried feigning innocence. "Ah… er… that is… What do you mean?"

In return, Sango's face warned Kagome that she was pushing her luck.

"No! Of course not! Wait, who? Who do I like?" Kagome was avoiding eye contact at this point. But that only made Sango pursue all the harder.

"You know who! You so do. And don't bother trying to hide it, 'cause you suck at it."

They stared at one another for a few moments and started laughing.

"Seriously, though, Sango-chan. I don't _like_ him. I barely even know him!"

"Good. Exactly. Besides, he's got some **serious** anger issues. I don't know if I'd like you dating someone like him, even if he is Japanese."

"Sango! What a thing to say! Honestly, that's the way my _grandpa_ thinks. Race doesn't matter."

"I suppose. But he can speak Japanese, right?"

"Yup."

"Well, that _is_ a plus. Or maybe not… Then you can't say nasty things about him while he's around. You'd have to wait until he left the room or something."

"SANGO! Come on! What is with you! You should be ashamed of yourself. Besides, it doesn't matter because I don't like him!"

"…Right. You don't like him."

"Right."

"Which is why you've been dreaming about him?"

"Ri—SANGO!"

And thus began the water fight.

…

…

"I can't believe we got kicked out over something like that!" Sango was furious. "Old women slip and break their hips or whatever all the time, right?"

Kagome was still laughing. "She only said she _thought_ she'd broken her hip. Besides, she wouldn't have fallen if you weren't the one to nail her with the beach ball that made her lose her balance, though."

"That was a pretty good shot, you've got to admit…"

"Sango-chan, you're terrible! That poor old lady got hurt!"

Sango's stare said, 'You've got to be kidding me.' "Did you see her earlier?"

Kagome just stared suspiciously.

"I'm serious! That old lady has some serious spunk! She teaches a water aerobics class for senior citizens. I was watching the other day, and those old guys can _move_!"

Kagome started to snicker again. Sango continued her protest. "Besides, she'll probably just sue the gym and get a huge settlement. She should _thank_ us! Not have us kicked out for a month."

"Yeah, yeah… if you say so. You should be a lawyer, Sango-chan. I bet you'd be good at it."

"You think so?"

"Oh yeah."

"I don't think I could do it. I hate lawyers." Sango shuddered. "Vultures. All of 'em. Besides, have you ever seen an attractive lawyer?"

Kagome raised a finger to answer but was cut off.

"—That wasn't part of a TV show?"

Kagome put her finger down again. "Good point. Its like they have a union or something that doesn't allow anyone under 40."

Sango laughed. "Besides… I just… couldn't do it."

"Why not?"

"Because. I have a conscience!"

"If that's all, I think they remove those once you pass the bar…"

The girls giggled all the way home.

And were still giggling when they went to bed.

Kagome hadn't laughed so much in a long time. Probably since she'd been in America, actually. But it wasn't that bad here. She liked it, actually.

She went over her schedule for the next day as she fell asleep.

_Math class at 8, then to work, Inu Yasha… and um… Inu Yasha… what's after that? I know there was something I was supposed to do… hmm… and… Inu Yasha… no class in the evening… but there was something special about tomorrow… Friday… something about… Friday…_

But she fell asleep before she could remember what it was she'd forgotten.

…

…

**SOMEWHERE OVER THE PACIFIC OCEAN **

The occupants of the airplane were all soundly sleeping, save one young man. Hojo was wide awake, which was obvious by the fact that his legs where bouncing in a nervous manner, at the same rate as when the plane had left Japan nearly 5 hours earlier.

He was an attractive guy, all in all. There wasn't anything in particular that made him appealing, but when you took him as a whole… he was a cutie. He had light brown hair, combed in a way that practically made mothers shove their daughters into his path, and soft brown eyes that made any child in the area immediately gravitate to him. He had broad but gentle shoulders, implying that he was made for sports, but they were just a hobby.

All in all, he was pretty close to perfect.

Well, almost. There was one major issue.

This attractive young man was, in fact… an idiot. A sweet idiot, but an idiot nonetheless.

The flight attendants had all been gossiping about how cute he was and fought over who would offer him complimentary whatever.

But once the first one had returned to report, they gave up.

"He spent the first ten minutes—TEN minutes! —telling me about how good it was going to be to see some Higurashi chick again. Then he went on to explain that she's an exchange student and friend of his and she was always on the sickly side growing up, so he's been SO worried about her…"

So he was left to his own for the remainder of the eighteen-hour flight.

But he didn't mind at all. In fact, he didn't even notice that the attendants avoided him like the plague and all the passengers around him had gone to the bathroom a very long time ago with out returning to finish their conversation about Ms. Higurashi.

It made no difference to him. He was going to see her again, soon. And if all went well… who knew? Maybe she'd be coming home with him. That was part of the reason why he'd come in the first place. He'd been thinking about her constantly since middle school and these past few months that she'd been gone had cemented his feelings for her.

He was in love. And he was going to tell her today. Well, technically, tomorrow, since the flight was so long… but anyway… he was going to tell her. And ask her if she loved him, too.

Glancing at his wrist watch, he just couldn't sit still. There wasn't anyone around who was awake that he could talk to but he just had so much nervous energy…

Why did America have to be so far away?

…

…

Kagome woke to the sound of her alarm and for the first time that she could think of, she was happy to hear it.

_I slept through the night! Hah! Take that!_

She smiled to herself. It was gonna be a good day.

She was humming softly as she drank her coffee while waiting for the bus. She didn't even care that they were getting back the test she'd flunked in math today.

_Something important is gonna happen today, I think. A milestone or something like that. Point is that today is going to be good. And nothing is going to change that!_

She smiled again, proud of her optimistic attitude, even though she hadn't a clue what brought it on.

The bus was coming –and right on time! That was unusual. Kagome took it to be a good sign and took another sip from her mug while she waited for the bus to come to a full stop.

Behind her, there suddenly was a ruckus as two men began shouting and pushing. It had nothing to do with her, though, so she tried to ignore it and edged away slowly.

Or at least that was the plan.

The curb was uneven where she thought it was level, and she stubbed her toes, tripping in the process and turning her beverage into an accessory to boot.

By the time her face had returned to its natural hue and she'd tidied herself up, she looked up in time to see her bus turn the corner ahead of her.

Kagome had missed the bus.

_Perfect. Now I have to go home and change or go the rest of the day with a huge stain… but do I even have time to change? I don't want to be late; the professor locks the door and makes you wait outside, so if you're late, you might as well not have come at all!_

_But I can't afford to miss class!_

_(sigh) I guess I'll go looking like this… hopefully I can get out of the office today early so I can change before my evening class, at the least._

Inu Yasha's gonna have a field day with this… 

Kagome grimaced as she began the long walk to school.

This was NOT a good way to start the day… And something told her that it was only going downhill from here.

…

…

A/N: Well, there you go! Another chapter, though a bit on the short side… (frump on me) but I wanted to start a new chapter for the next meeting with our puppy-kins. XD

Toodles!

M-


	6. Light my Fire

A/N: Okay, now before any of you who are still reading this kill me, just remember: a corpse can't update at all! (braces for the beatings to begin)

Now, an actual note for this chapter:

This is where the real plot is starting (in this and chapter 7). There are some serious parts and I hope you guys approve of how I wrote that particular scene. We also get to meet the bad guys in this chappie! So busy! My, my, my…

Well, you know what to do. READ! REVIEW! PLEASEDON'TKILLME!

**…**

**…**

Kagome thought about her options:

A) Run and try to catch the bus at a light or another stop.

B) Run home and change and call a taxi to take her to school.

C) Just call a taxi and go through the day looking like a detergent commercial.

D) Curling into the fetal position and crying.

Option D was sounding really good, but her feet were already moving in the direction of her apartment.

_If I have to deal with Inu Yasha again, goodness only knows what he'll come up with… I should at least change. If I don't make it to class—so what? I'll probably just have to go up to Hunting after class and beg for my test back. Nothing major. Oh God, I'm screwed…_

…

…

As she reached her hand out to turn the door knob, Sango was surprised to find it was already turning of its own accord. And now the door was opening-and hitting her face. Oh good.

"Oh! Sango-chan! Gomennasai!"

"**Oh! Sango-chan! I am so sorry!"**

"Iiye… i… itaii…"

"**No problem… oh… ouch…"**

Planning to play it up and get some pity points, Sango looked up expecting to find a repentant and fretting Kagome where there was only an empty hallway.

"Kagome? Where…?"

Muffled by the mostly closed bedroom door, Sango heard her roommate call to her. "Oh, I'm changing real quick—hey, do you know a good cabbie service to call?" Once she identified where her friend was, Sango went to the door so as to not shout across the apartment and potentially wake the neighbors. It was only about 7:20, after all.

"What? Kagome, what's going on? Wait. Why are you here? You'll miss your bus!"

"Been there, done that." As Kagome dashed out of the room the door nearly hit Sango again, but she was ready for it this time. Easily dodging and catching the door while looking after her friend, Sango repeated herself.

"So… what happened? Why did you need to change? And you'll never catch a cab at this hour!"

"I know… I tripped and spilled my coffee on myself and while I was cleaning it up I missed the bus. I don't want to spend the day filthy and I'm already running behind, so I figured I might as well change and just call a stupid cab that I don't have the money for." Sarcastically she asked her friend, "So how's _your_ morning going?"

"Kagome… listen: I don't have to go to work today… why don't you just..." Sango paused as if what she was about to say was a source of physical pain. "Why don't you… _borrow_ my …car?"

Kagome froze for a moment, starring at her friend. Suddenly she rushed to the window, searching the sky frantically.

Sango had a feeling what was coming but took the bait anyway. "What are you doing Kagome-chan?"

"Looking for the aliens that abducted the real you! The Sango I know and love would never—"

That was all she got to say before the pillow hit the backside of her head.

…

…

_Okay… I can still make it to class on time! If, that is, there's nobody on the road at 7:45 on a Friday morning in New York City. …I am so screwed. But I have to try!_

And try she did. Valiantly, in fact. Unfortunately, her efforts were in vain.

Looking at her watch reading 8:01, Kagome felt like crying as she power-walked her way to her classroom on the fourth floor. The elevator was out of order so she had to do it the old fashioned way.

She braced herself as she approached the door, wincing in advance as she turned the knob to face the full wrath of Professor Hunting.

Oddly, however, the handle would not turn. It was locked. Kagome's eyes flew open to look down at the knob as if this would somehow solve her problem. Naturally, it did not. But as her gaze moved up to the small window in hopes of catching someone's eye and mercifully being let in, all she saw was darkness and a piece of paper taped to the door:

**NOTE:**

**Class for Prof. Hunting for Friday is cancelled. Will meet next on Monday.**

Kagome could scarcely believe her luck. This was too good to be true! She closed her eyes and said a quick prayer to whatever deity or spirit was looking after her. Her mood quite lifted, she decided today was going to be a good day after all.

…

…

She'd never realized how long her math class was until she had to kill that much time. Kagome ended up just walking over to the little private elementary school next to the campus to read a library book under a tree. As she listened to the sounds of life around her, the sun gently warming her between the leaves and branches above her, Kagome felt the rarest of pure emotions: undiluted happiness.

…

…

Sango loved it when her boss messed up on the schedule. Sure she needed all the work she could get, but everyone needs some time off every once in awhile. Still in her pajamas, she went downstairs to check their mail. She usually did this anyway since Kagome barely had time to see two steps ahead of herself. But they'd both been so busy the last week or so that their box was nearly overflowing.

After a few awkward tries, she managed to get everything. As she closed the door, however, she saw one more letter trapped in the side of the box. Sighing to herself, she shifted the bulk in her arms around until she could get at the letter. It was tightly wedged in between the side of the box and the eighth of and inch that wrapped from the bottom up to the sides. Sango thought darkly to herself: why do they even have that?

Once all the mail was free, she waddled her way back up to the room to begin the sorting.

_Kagome… Kagome… Me… Kagome… Kagome… Kago—why the hell does she get so much more mail than me? …Kagome… Me… Resident… Kagome… Me… Kago—hmm… this one's in Japanese._

Sango turned over the letter that had been stuck in the mailbox earlier to examine it better. At first, she'd assumed it was from home but that didn't seem right as her mom usually tried to write in English. Mrs. Higurashi was so cute sometimes. But this one seemed different. _And goodness knows how long it was in their like that… I guess I'll just let Kagome know about it when she gets home…Sango chewed on her lips in her curiosity. Just who sent this? The only people she talks about from home are her family and …well she did mention that one guy the time I got her smashed… but she said it was a one-sided crush, so I seriously doubt its him. But then again, she can be really clueless sometimes…_

Her face was marred by warring emotions: temptation to snoop into her friend's mail and knowing the consequences it would bring. While her mind was busy trying to settle on what to do her hands began moving of their own accord. By the time she'd accepted that a slow and torturous death was not worth waiting until Kagome got home, she looked down to see the envelope torn open.

_Well, no point in not reading it now…_

The letter was penned in immaculate Japanese. A flood of nostalgia hit Sango. It had been a long time since she'd seen proper writing like this.

"Dear Kagome-san,

As I was finishing packing I was struck by the terrible need to send one last note before I left. I know that my last letter was a bit forward and may have surprised you, but I must admit that I was worried when you didn't call me to let me know your feelings like I had so boldly requested.

Then I understood: it is most expensive to call Japan from America, isn't it? Please forgive my insensitivity to your situation. I assure you I never meant to make you feel uncomfortable!

This brings me to my reason for writing you again. As I stated in the previous letter, I have spoken with your family on this matter and they all heartily approve. If they haven't mentioned it to you yet, I apologize, but I asked them not to.

My dear Kagome-chan, please, do not feel obligated. I have been planning to visit America anyway, so if this isn't what you want, I can still go on with my trip—no hard feelings. I promise.

Well, I have to go. I'm not sure how long it takes a letter to go from Japan to you, but I hope this gets to you before you pick me up at the airport. If not, then maybe I'll wait outside while you read it. Remember: I land at 3:43 PM Eastern Standard time. I can't wait to see you again!

-Hojo"

Sango sat in stunned silence for a moment, the paper held taught between her two hands, and trembling like the rest of her body.

_What the hell is this?! Friday? This Friday? Why is this guy so freaking vauge? …but… Kagome-chan never told me about …well ANYTHING like this! She's getting **married**? How could she keep this from me? She is so dead when she gets home!_

…

…

Kagome waltzed into the DMV humming gently to herself. Her day had already been a roller coaster ride of ups and downs so she felt unshakable. Today was Friday. She got to drive Sango's car. She didn't miss her math class because it was mercifully cancelled. Add to that a few hours of reading a favorite book under an obliging tree and things were getting frighteningly close to good. And… she would get to see Inu Yasha at least one more time.

She couldn't think of any other possible way for him to screw up—he had to take the test today. Now if he just so happens to fail on his own, now that's another story completely. A deliciously evil smirk found its way to Kagome's face. If he fails, then she'll get to see him again…

With a heavy sigh the smirk fell away. _I really need to get this guy out of my head. This is very unhealthy. Not to mention unprofessional. With the last thought she looked over to see what Mary 1 and 2 were up to. Mary 1 had fallen asleep in mid-knit and Mary 2 was busy doing today's crossword puzzle. Oh yeah. _I'm_ the disgrace of the DMV._

_Alright. 11:57. He should be here soon._ For some reason, Kagome was nervous. Suddenly her chair was uncomfortable. Her skirt felt too short. Her hair wouldn't behave itself—at one point she swore she heard it growl at her attempts to tame her bangs.

_11:58. AGH! Why is time moving so slowly? Deep breaths, Kagome. Deep. …why am I so worked up over this? I'm the one giving the test, not taking it. There's no way for me to screw things up here. …On the other hand…_

Kagome's thoughts were interrupted by the door opening. There was no tinkling bell today—after yesterday's fiasco they had barely been able to tape the door back together.

After carefully replacing the door to its resting place, Inu Yasha slowly and purposefully turned to face Kagome. From the way his hat tilted and shaded his eyes from the florescent glow, she half expected to hear music from a bad spaghetti western in the background. He just gave a brief nod to the Marys and looked at Kagome again.

"Let's do this."

"Papers."

"Read 'em and weep, wenc—uh, …Miss DMV," he concluded lamely.

"Well it looks like you're ready. As you so eloquently put it: Let's do this." Kagome grabbed her red pen and clipboard and began to lead the way. When they reached the door, Inu Yasha neatly jumped in front of her.

"Allow me." He lifted the door and held it out of the way while she passed through.

Flattered and blushing just a little, Kagome smiled as she waited for him to catch up. "Thank you. Wow. I never figured you for the gentlemanly type."

"Keh. What the hell are you going on about? There's no way a skinny thing like you could lift that door. We'd be here all day if I waited for you to move it by yourself. And then you'd get a splinter and start crying… and then I wouldn't be able to take my damn test AND my ears would hurt. I'd rather move the damn thing myself."

As he sauntered by coolly, Kagome felt her face burning with humiliation and pain. That was really uncalled for. Her mind flipped through her retaliatory tactics: yelling? No… Crying? Definitely not—that's too risky, he might see through it. Silent treatment? Perfect.

Without speaking or looking directly at him, Kagome followed Inu Yasha as he wove through the parking lot towards his car. After a few seconds, she could feel the air growing heavier by the second. His walk was definitely less cocky. He was questioning himself for saying those terrible things. _Oh, I am good._

Trying not to smile while lost in her own small victory, she nearly bumped into Inu Yasha's backside when he came to a sudden stop. Forgetting her vengeance, Kagome broke the silence due to her irritation.

"Hey, easy with the brakes!" Kagome slipped into business mode: her voice lost its personality as she began to recite the usual spiel. "Now, I'll need your keys so that I can begin to… Hey! Are you even listening to me?"

He wasn't listening to her. He was frozen. As in not moving. She wasn't sure if he was even breathing, actually.

"Inu Yasha, what's—"

Suddenly Inu Yasha moved. Dropping to his knees, he wailed like his heart was broken. Like a child. But what started as sob ended in a wail of fury.

"What is going on! You're kind of scaring me, you know…" It was true, she didn't realize it but she had begun to back away from the crying hanyou.

It was barely a whisper when he finally spoke.

"How… how could he?"

The sudden speech startled Kagome. "Wait. What? Who? How could who what?" Mutely, Inu Yasha pointed a few feet in front of where he was crouching. It was his car. Or at least what was left of it. Probably. It was red, Kagome could tell that much for certain. What she couldn't figure out was when someone had had the chance to slash the tires, cut every wire, and cord in his engine AND set the car on fire. And do so without being noticed?

"Oh my… Inu Yasha… but…" Before her consolatory words could reach him, Inu Yasha had stopped his war cry and was speaking again.

"Do you have a car I could borrow?"

"What?"

Inu Yasha was standing now. Kagome could feel the hate and anger radiating from him. "But shouldn't we call someone to take care of—"

"No. I need my license. NOW." He turned to her and for the first time she saw the passion burning in his eyes. This wasn't the passion like in her day dreams. This wasn't from some trashy romance novel. This was the way a man looks when there is nothing but hatred in his soul. She felt like she had been hit in the stomach. Overwhelming.

This was frightening.

"Do-you-have…a …car?" He repeated himself. Kagome was frozen. She couldn't speak. She couldn't move. He wasn't the one she'd been dreaming and thinking about constantly for the last week. He wasn't. This was another man. This was something out of a nightmare and she didn't know if she could handle it.

Suddenly he lunged and grabbed her by her arms. His eyes were turning red. All she could do was cry silently while her mind screamed for her to run. His fingernails were beginning to dig into her arms, and she cried out in pain.

"I don't have time for this. The bastard is going to pay and soon." His voice had lost all traces of cockiness and turned to a deep and growling threat.

Panic was taking over Kagome's body when suddenly she heard a familiar voice in an unfamiliar context.

"Bullocks to the lot of ya! Good fer not'ins! Shoore, lat par little Meray poot out da fiyar!"

The flaming car behind them was being extinguished by Mary 1. Her tiny figure was nearly being knocked off of her feet by the power of the fire extinguisher but this was not a woman to be trifled with. She wouldn't be beaten quite so easily.

Mary 2 was running toward the stunned Inu Yasha and Kagome. "Dios mio! What are choo doing! In de light o' dey no less. Ef choo gonna play kissy-face don' do et here, mkay?"

…

…

**FIVE MINUTES LATER**

"I told you—I wasn't going to kiss anybody!"

"Don't. You'll only encourage them."

"Hmph. Keh. …What time is it, anyway?"

Kagome looked at her watch. "12:43."

Inu Yasha mutely nodded. After the Marys came to the rescue Inu Yasha had passed out. It took all three of the women to drag him back into the office. And as if on cue as soon as they had gotten him into the room he immediately woke up and began to accuse them of molestation.

They sat in silence for a moment when suddenly Inu Yasha stood and faced Kagome.

"So. Don't tell me: I have to come back tomorrow?"

For a moment she was confused. "…wha… Oh. Well, hold on, I don't think I have anyone else scheduled for today… let me double check." After glancing at her calendar she smiled. "I believe it's your lucky day! I'm free until 4:00. That is—so long as we don't have any other walk-ins." She smiled and winked at him. She wanted to cheer him up but even more so wanted to _not_ bring back the monster from the parking lot. She had been afraid for her life. He was dangerous—feral. She had been afraid of him.

She had heard of hanyou, sure. But she didn't really come across that many of them. It always made her so angry to hear about hanyou being discriminated, hated and even hunted. She had forgotten that Inu Yasha wasn't all human. He certainly didn't act like a demon. The only demons left in the modern world were cold, secluded and filthy rich.

Seeing the demon in Inu Yasha was like a shock of cold water. She had gotten carried away with her day dreams. It was time to get on with her life. Without Inu Yasha.

_… Yeah, right! That's really lame, Kagome. Seriously, you're not the star of some shojo manga. Snap out of it!_

"Keh. You've got a weird sense of luck." Inu Yasha's words helped to shake Kagome out of her thoughts.

"Hey! Be grateful! Now all we have to do is find a car for you to…" She stopped herself as it came to her.

The idea was a bad one. She knew it from the beginning. But she really wanted to do something nice for him. This guy had really had a crappy week and now someone totally destroys his car? His reaaally nice car, no less. Sango would kill her. But if she told Inu Yasha he had to come back again, he might beat Sango to the chase.

"Oi. Here in America we like to finish our sentences."

"Ah… Well, you see, we don't have a loaner car like some of the bigger offices in the city." She could see the frustration rising in his face and the tension in his clenched hands. "But! Heh heh, um it just so happens that I have my roommate's car today. So if you promise to be S-U-P-E-R careful, I guess I could let you use that one…"

**…**

**…**

"Brr. What was that?" Sango felt a chill run down her spine. She held her arms around herself and rubbed them for warmth. After the feeling passed she returned to her task at hand. "Hmm. That was odd. Now, should I put the 'congrats' so she sees it when she walks in? Or maybe in the kitchen? Hmm…"

**…**

**…**

It was truly a sight for sore eyes. The avocado green paint was peeling off the frame of Sango's 1980's station wagon. Rust accented the grotesque color and almost made it look like the car was bleeding slowly to death. Trying to turn on the engine only re-affirmed this feeling.

Inu Yasha grimaced as the engine gears grated against each other in their vain struggle for life. After pumping the gas pedal a few times he was able to coax the car into turning on.

Sitting in the passenger side of the front seat, Kagome had already begun sweating. This made her really nervous. Using her best friend's car for a stranger's driving test was beyond irresponsible. It was more along the lines of suicidal. Especially considering how protective Sango was.

"Whatta piece of crap."

"Hey! That is not your piece of crap so I don't want to hear it! If you've got nothing nice to say then zip it mister."

"Keh."

"Seriously, what is it with you and that noise? It's bizarre. Nobody makes noises like that."

"Shut up."

"Ooh. Nice vocab. Can I borrow your flash cards?"

"What?"

"Just pull out of the parking lot and turn left at the light."

…

…

The cold voice that came through Jakken's cell phone never failed to remind him why not to piss off his boss. Jakken's boss was not to be taken lightly and definitely _not_ to be disappointed.

"Let me use small words. Where. Is. The. Sword?"

Jakken felt like ice on the back of his neck. "W-well, my most honorable lord… I, that is… it was… he.."

". . ."

The silence coming from Jakken's boss made the ice spread through his neck and down his spine. It was hard to breathe when his boss was displeased.

"Please! Give me another chance! I thought he'd have it with him but it wasn't in his car like I thought! But don't worry, Sesshoumaru-sama, I saw it! He's carrying it on him! I—"

"Why, then, are you making me waste precious words? Jakken. I **want** that sword."

"Ye-yes, my lord! But, you see, he's not alone… he's in a different car now—there's this girl there and—"

"Jakken."

The poor toad demon cowered and flinched away from the phone involuntarily. Sesshoumaru knew no kindness. Jakken knew only fear—and absolute loyalty to the demon lord who froze blood with a single word.

"Ye-yes, my lord?"

"Do not bore me. The hanyo has been allowed to play but it is time to take away his toy. I do not care about humans. Do what it takes to bring me Tetsusaiga."

…

…

A/N: Well, I know it's been a while and I am sorry for that. I'm just glad to be back to work on DMC.

Now on to chapter 7! Ha-ha!


	7. The Plot Thickens

A/N: Alright. I wanted to keep things moving, so I wrote the next chapter right away. Things are starting to move along, gang, so stick with me! And I KNOW some of you are reading! (shifty-eyes) So if you're liking this, review! If you think this is utter crap and I should do bad things to myself to atone, review! JUST REVIEW IT. (Please.)

This was the one thing she did not miss about taking the bus.

"MOVE! YOUR! ASSES!"

Inu Yasha's head was fully out the car window as he berated the half million parked cars in front of him on the highway. Luckily, Kagome had her clipboard to hide what little of her face was showing.

_Taking him on the highway during lunch hour may have been a bit of a mistake…_

Kagome winced at her own understatement. _Well, at least I learned something new from this—yes, you _can_ break a car's horn by pressing it too much. Oh god, Sango is going to murder me in my sleep!_

Braving a glance at the hostility surrounding her, she was suddenly struck by a idea which seemed tremendously funny.

She began giggling quietly, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. Another glance around her and a snicker broke through her defenses. Inu Yasha's head snapped to look at her.

"OI! What the hell is so damn funny, wench? I'm trying to concentrate, here!" The look of indignation combined with his sullen and now pouting lower lip was the final straw. Kagome broke out into full fledged laughter.

A blush crept up his cheeks as he tried not to look offended. "You don't _have_ to laugh at me, do you?"

Mutely, Kagome managed to nod. Her face had turned red and tears were beginning to stream down her face. After a moment of supreme effort she managed to calm herself and even looked slightly ashamed.

"I (hee) wasn't laughing at you."

He didn't look convinced. "Oh. Really."

"(snicker) Really! I promise! …okay well maybe a little at the end there but that wasn't why I started! I swear it!"

"Keh!" He turned his head away with his chin tucked in towards his chest, crossing his arms and muttering darkly to himself. Immediately Kagome retracted to her work mode: "HANDS ON THE WHEEL AT ALL TIMES!"

Covering his ears and cringing away, Inu Yasha looked at Kagome. He then lead her eyes to the parking lot ahead of them and returned with a meaningful look.

"I'm the one with the Sharpie, so watch it mister."

Muttering once again but with hands on the wheel, Inu Yasha changed the subject.

"So what was so damn funny anyway?"

"What?"

Rolling his eyes he spoke slowly as though to a child. "What were you laughing at?"

"Oh! Forget it. It's weird."

"No. I wanna know."

"Naw… you'd laugh at me!"

Giving her a withering look, Inu Yasha just replied, "So I guess we'd be even."

_Damn. He has a good point._

"Alright but you probably won't think it's so funny." He gave her a look that clearly said "try me".

"Okay. Well, looking out at all these people in front of us, I guess I kind of found myself thinking of them like… hm, I don't know what…"

Inu Yasha, expecting her to continue, looked over when she didn't say anything else. "Oi. Keep going."

"Right. So looking out at all of those angry and noisy people I suddenly had the most unbelievable urge to lean out my window and yell, 'SHOO!'. You know, maybe throw in some illustrative hand gestures so the slow ones get the point… I don't know…" she finished with a sheepish smile. "I warned you! It was funny in my head."

Inu Yasha stared for a moment and broke into a wicked grin. "Oh you're definitely funny in the head alright."

"Hey! Uncalled for!" Though Kagome tried her best to be irritated, she couldn't help but smile along with him. After a moment of pleasant silence, a thought emerged. "Hey, do you have a watch or something?"

"What's wrong with the clock?"

"Nothing. Other than the fact that it was stolen with the radio about two months ago, it's just peachy," she said without a trace of sarcasim.

"Ha ha. How the hell was I supposed to know that?"

"I'm surprised you aren't more aware of your surroundings." She said mockingly.

"Shaddup."

"…So do you know what time it is?"

A smirk covered his face as he took a breath to answer her. Sensing what was coming, she cut him to the chase. "And no, it is not time for me to buy a watch."

His face fell in obvious disappointment. "You don't play fair."

"I know," she trilled happily.

"Well no I don't know what time it is Miss Smarty Pants."

"I happen to be wearing a skirt today, thank you." Primly she crossed her ankles and turned her nose up with a haughty sniffle.

"No, thank _you_."

Kagome near choked on the thinly concealed pick-up line.

"I said… thank you…" Inu Yasha leaned over the middle of the front seat, resting his weight on his right wrist while keeping his left on the steering wheel. Kagome felt the heat rising all the way from her toes and lingering far to long. She pressed her back as far against the car door as she could, trying to keep distance between them.

_If this is just some cruel joke I swear to all that is good and holy in the world—he-will-**suffer**._

When she chanced a glance in his direction, though, he was looking straight through her, it seemed.

The tension of the moment was shattered and she began to turn and see what he was looking at instead of her.

"_DON'T_."

She felt herself jump at the command and froze in place. Afraid to move her lips she whispered, "What is it?"

He didn't respond. His gold eyes were so focused Kagome tried not to envision laser beams shooting out of them. Laughing right now would be a very bad idea. Especially since any lasers would have to pass through her.

In a chilling voice, he quietly told Kagome, "We're being followed."

…

…

Sango was pacing. It was a bad habit of hers, ever since she was little. She looked at the clock again and turned back to her pacing. _Stupid time. When is she coming home? Surely she would come home and freshen up or something before picking up her fiancé? _

That thought brought her out of her revere and lead her back to Kagome's letter from Hojo. She read it again. He just sounded so damn nice! So respectable! _…I want one…_

On cue, the door chose that moment to be knocked upon. It startled Sango and she gently cursed the door for doing such a silly thing as to let itself be knocked upon.

When she opened the door to see nothing she was really annoyed. Hanging onto the door with one hand and the door way with the other she leaned onto one leg to peer out into the hallway. But no one was there. _What the—_her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar hand gently cupping her unprotected rear.

Instincts took over and her elbow came down hard at an angle, pinning the offending appendage against the door. Her lips curled in satisfaction at the yelp following her lightening quick motion. In one swift move she brought down her fist while keeping her elbow in place, attempting to just snap the damn hand off and save women everywhere a lot of grief.

Luckily for him, her boyfriend knew his lady love's temper and was prepared. In a move to block the blow, he thrust he free hand out and found the back of her neck. Before she could react he pulled her in, throwing her off balance and into his kiss.

Of course she struggled out of principle but they both knew perfectly well she did not _really_ want to escape. Without breaking contact, Miroku broke into a smile and readied himself to attack again.

Sango sensed the weakness and broke the kiss, throwing herself against the opposite side of the door way. Both panting, red, and smiling, they stood for a moment, not sure who would make the first move.

"Missed me that much, huh?" Miroku arched an eyebrow at Sango and sauntered past her, inviting himself into the apartment.

"Oh baby. You know it." Sango droned while rolling her eyes and bringing the door to a close behind her. "Why didn't you call me back? I've been trying to reach you for hours, you know. I figured you get the hint after the first two messages."

"My darling, the truth is that after hearing your divine voice mangled by modern technology I wanted—nay—_needed_ to hear from your own sweet lips this news…" With a flourish he bowed and kissed her hand.

_I shouldn't have called. Why did I call him? Why???_

…

…

"What do you mean, 'followed'? Inu Yasha, in case you haven't noticed… _we're not moving_!" Kagome whispered fervently. He ignored her and continued with his soliloquy.

"Not good. Think. _Think_!" Inu Yasha slammed his fist against the back of the car seat, stirring dust from two decades prior. "Alright. We've got no choice. He knows where I am and now he's seen you, too."

"Whoa, there, Skippy, you lost me." He ignored her and rambled on, never looking away from the spot just above and behind Kagome's head.

"Right. You're right. We've got to loose him somehow. But we can't move with all these cars… Dammit!" Again he thumped the seat, releasing a new blanket of dust.

"Hold it! I didn't say anything about running! I actually asked for some information." She gave him a flat stare but it had no effect.

He began to mumble quickly and quietly. Kagome didn't know if he was having a one-sided conversation or chanting some ancient incantation. She did know one thing. Her hanyou companion didn't notice that cars were now beginning to move.

"Inu Yasha! _Focus_!" He shook his head at her command, like he was swatting an insect and spat back, "I am focused!"

"The-cars-are-moving. Foot on gas pedal! _Now_!"

That got his attention. Looking sharply to the front he saw the widening gap between his parked vehicle and the moving ones in front of him.

Turning the ignition and throwing the car into gear, Inu Yasha slammed his foot against the gas. …Unfortunately for both of them, in his eagerness to play catch-up, Inu Yasha's hanyou strength decided it wanted to play, too.

Kagome had braced herself against the dashboard; already prepared for the worst. As they shot forward they left a screen of smoke and a trail of rubber behind them. Kagome was having difficultly holding her head up at this velocity. _I had no idea this car had that much pep to it!_

With great effort she craned her neck to look at the speedometer. _66 miles per hour. Oh my._

While that thought sunk in she turned again to look to the front. …Just in time to see the cars in front of them barely miss colliding.

Inu Yasha slammed on the brakes with even more force than before, skidding to a halt about half a centimeter from making contact with the truck in front of them. For a moment, the two were frozen into mirror images, both braced for the impact that didn't come.

Carefully peeling one eye open, Kagome's curiosity got the better of her. _Are we dead?_

Looking at the scene ahead, she felt a groan escape from her lips.

The car in front of them was a beat-up white pick-up truck complete with mud flaps and red neck bumper stickers like, "Keep honking: I'm reloading". The driver of the truck was now out of his vehicle and marching over to the car in front of his— a compact foreign car—Kagome couldn't tell which specific kind.

The owner of the green car, however, was not exiting his vehicle, but rather attempting to hide in any way possible from this big, icky and obviously pissy man. The big man began to swear at the top of his lungs, calling for the little man to get out of his car.

"Lookit what you did! You bett'r not touch ma truck!" The red neck was pacing in front of the other man's door. "Cumm'on! Let's go!"

The little man just shrank further into his seat, so that now Kagome could only see a nose.

Inu Yasha cursed. "Dammit, this could take hours! We've got a chance to loose him, but it's got to be _now_!"

The big man began kicking the little man's car door, taunting him and trying to make him come out.

"Keh. Oh yeah, that'll work. 'Come out here so I can beat the crap out of yew!' Not likely." Impressed with his comment, he turned to see Kagome's reaction but saw only her slender legs dangling inside the car as she positioned herself on the edge of the car's empty window. "What are you—" He knew exactly was she was doing.

Sitting on the car door, Kagome leaned towards the large and belligerent man. With an imperious expression pasted across her face and a disdainful wave of her hands, she yelled, "SHOO! I'VE GOT A CELL PHONE! SHOO! I'LL CALL THE POLICE! SHOO, SHOO!"

Inu Yasha lunged to pull her back into the car, but was restrained by his seat belt. _Stupid life-saving seat belt!_ , he thought to himself as he tore at the release mechanism.

The previously belligerent man had stopped kicking the little man's car door and was staring at this small, crazy Asian lady who was threatening to call the cops. And she was telling him to … "_shoo_".

Kagome took his hesitation to be a sign of her progress. "GO ON, SHOO! CELL PHONE! SHOO! I'LL CALL THE POLICE!"

The big man seemed shaken by the whole situation but reluctant to pass on the chance to bully someone smaller than him. Returning his attention to the little man while still sneaking nervous peeks back at this weird woman, he half-heartedly threw out a few more insults and made a few rather pathetic lunges towards the green car, but quickly made his way back to his own truck.

Satisfied with a job well done, Kagome nodded smartly and crawled back into the car to face a stunned half-breed. His jaw slack –and was that awe she saw in his eyes?—she noticed he was frozen holding his unbuckled seat belt.

She just smiled at him pleasantly, rolled up her window and strapped in her seat belt again. When Inu Yasha made no move, she leaned over, took each end of his belt and snapped them together for him. Patting his cheek condescendingly, she said, "Safety first!"

…

…

Things had been quiet at the DMV for the last two hours. After the fuss with the car on fire and the part-timer making friendly with her appointment, the Marys were glad to have a little peace and quiet, though.

"Dey chure 'ave been gan a w'ile." Mary 2 sighed, looking up from her crossword puzzle to check on the clock.

"Aye." Mary 1 didn't look up from her knitting. After a comfortable moment of silence she continued. "Well. It seems te' meh that 'eh meh beh needin' sa mar yarn soon…" She looked over meaningfully at Mary 2 who was already digging in her garters for a five dollar bill.

Smacking it down on the table, Mary 2 frowned. "Choo don' pley fair. I tot che was smar'd enough to not take de 'ayeway."

"Aye. Tis a good woman ya are, Mary." And with a benevolent smile she smoothly palmed the fiver and hid it in her dress. Setting her needles aside for a moment, Mary 1 cocked her head to one side, suddenly lost in thought. "Now, das that maek et t'ree to noon? Or is et foor?"

Mary 2 didn't dignify that with a response.

After settling back into their previous tasks, a few moments passed with barely more notice than the occasional tick-tock.

The serenity was broken abruptly when the door suddenly fell to the ground. Standing on what used to be the other side with a hand poised as though in mid-knock was the handsome stranger from the day before.

Mary 1 was the first to pipe up. "Aye, laddie com'on en! Ef ets da wee bonnie lass ya be here fer, shea's oot."

The stranger looked even more confused as he tried to decipher what exactly came out of the small woman's mouth. Shaking it off, he stepped in and politely addressed the Marys.

"Excuse me. My name is Koga… I'm here to take my test? I didn't get a chance to take it yesterday, so I thought that perhaps today would be better."

Cocking her ancient Irish head towards Kagome's desk, Mary 1 supplied the stranger with the bad news. "She's da one ta gib tests. Sarrey, boyo. Eh'd sey ya'r oot o' luck!"

"I'm sorry, but I'm a little confused. If she's on her lunch break, perhaps I should wait—or maybe one of you lovely ladies would be willing to help me out?" He bowed with a suave smile. He always was good with the ladies, especially the older ones.

When he looked up, though, the bitties were not impressed, but rather trying not to laugh at him, it seemed. The darker of the women spoke next. "Choo wern't lisening, were choo? Che's not 'ere!"

"I'm sorry?" Koga looked to the other woman for clarification.

"Aye. 'Tis true. Kog'may es stell oot wit da boyo frum yestardey. Eh taut' dey'd stey close, boot es' been wha, far 'ours, fibe?" Mary 1 turned to her compatriot for affirmation. The little Hispanic woman nodded sadly.

"What do you mean? The _hanyou_? That jerk? She's going _out _with him?" The memory of yesterday's humiliation coupled with the thought of a half-breed taking off with _his_ woman, Koga felt his predatory instincts begin to kick in. His blood began pumping faster as his gut told him it was time for a little jog around the block.

With a perfunctorily bow of good bye the handsome stranger was gone again.

Mary 2 met her partner in crime's glance. "So. Da usual?"

"Aye. _Ye_ lost last time. _Y_'kin call et." Mary 2 scrunched her wrinkled face tightly, as if hoping to squeeze out her bet. A smile broke across her rosy cheeks and she lightly pushed Mary 1 on the shoulder.

"I say 'e don get 'er. But, da silver whon. 'E's gonna get 'er." Mary 1 looked up sharply and studied her friend. Shaking her head, she muttered "A mey 've lost dis one."

…

…

They were free from the constraints of heavy traffic now, and Inu Yasha maneuvered the car fluidly down the highway. If Kagome wasn't scared out of her wits that he was going to crash the car, she would have been very impressed.

With one hand on the "oh-shit" handle on the roof and one bracing against the car seat, Kagome felt herself rolling from side to side from his frequent and fast lane changes. "Slow down! You're gonna get us killed!"

He paused to consider this. "Well, that's certainly _possible_ now… but most likely it will _not_ happen with me behind the wheel." He threw a cocky smile at her. Kagome was more than a little startled at how reassuring she found that smile to be.

_He's trying to protect me… Now if only he would tell me what the _hell_ he's trying to protect me _from_…_

…

…

Hojo could barely sit still. This was really torture. He had less than an hour before he landed and would get to see her again. Kagome really was a mystery to him—she always had been. It was one of the things he loved about her the most, actually.

When they were in school together she was out sick often. But when Higurashi-san was as school, class just seemed easier to get through. Everyone seemed to magically be in a better mood. She was… she was like sunshine. People have always been drawn to her and she radiated an innate love for those around her. …Just don't piss her off.

She was beautiful and lovely and delicate but had a fire within her that perpetually drove her to be better. Brighter. Stronger.

These thoughts rekindled again his desire to see her again. In college they'd taken similar courses –all the basics—and had even had a few classes together. Even if they never officially dated, being near her had been enough to make Hojo happy.

But the last year had been terrible. She transferred to their school's American sister-campus and had all but ignored him. He knew it wasn't fair to think of it that way, but… That's why he was on this plane. He studied hard, worked until exhaustion forced him to rest. He had gotten ahead by two semesters in the time she'd been gone. Now he was using that head start to catch up to what really mattered.

He was coming for her.

…

…

A/N: So? Tell me what you thought! Now!

Seriously. You guys are killing me. Even if you don't like it--I don't care. Please just let me know if y'all like where I'm going, have any suggestions or want to gouge your eyes out. I can see when you look at the chapters! (Shifty eyes) Just review it!


	8. Phone Home

AN: I doubt anyone is still reading this. That's a shame because I really like how this chapter turned out. If you do happen to read this, a few disclaimers"

-One, I don't own any of these characters you recognize.

-Two, there's more language than usual, but nothing too terrible. There is also some sexual innuendo but nothing that wouldn't be in a PG-13 movive.

All right. I really hope there are people who still read this, and that if you do, you enjoy it. This story means a lot to me and I'd like to know if it does to anyone else.

* * *

...

They had been sitting in the store parking lot for nearly half an hour while Inu Yasha studied the map. Since she hadn't really eaten yet, Kagome was rather insistent that food was in order. It wasn't until the 43rd verse of "King Henry VII" that he relented and pulled into a small local grocer. She had complained about that, too.

"Why not just stop at a gas station with a restaurant attached?" She complained.

"Hmph. We don't need gas yet."

"You know that funny little "E" down there? When the stick points to it, that typically means that the car isn't going to go vroom-vroom for much longer. FYI."

"Shut it." Inu Yasha was not in a very good mood. It was almost dark now but he was still in the city limits. The car _was_ almost out of gas, though. He knew they would catch up to him and soon if he didn't start making some serious mileage. And to top it all off, like a zit on prom night, _she_ was still with him. Oddly, he wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. That only pissed him off more, truthfully.

There was so much about her that set off warning bells and flashing "_don't go there_" lights. But Inu Yasha was never one to take orders well—even from himself. She always seemed able to see through his well woven tapestry of machismo. That was really unnerving. And speaking of unnerving, she always seemed to be looking at him. _Is it that weird to meet a __hanyou_

They had gone in and bought enough munchies and such to last until something more suitable came along and returned to the car. As she finished her burrito, Kagome was watching Inu Yasha sink further into his own thoughts. Again. He always seemed to be so far away! A part of her wondered if he wasn't sleeping with his eyes open, actually.

She waived her hand in front of his face. No response. Emboldened and feeling impish, she reached out and did something she'd dreamed about since she first saw him: a tentative hand and ran a few fingers experimentally through his long, silver hair.

Or at least that was the plan. After the first inch or so, her fingers became ensnared in the worst tangle she'd ever seen. _CRAP._ Biting her lip and moving in super-slow-motion, Kagome moved her other hand to rescue its trapped mate from the clutches of disaster. She dug her other hand into the fray, hoping to find a finger and set each one free separately. Unfortunately, as soon as her other hand was firmly entwined within the hairy prison, she felt her hip begin to vibrate.

…

…

_It's now or never!_ Hojo thought to himself bravely. He'd been pacing in front of the payphones since 5:00. Higurashi-san wasn't the most punctual of people, sure, but he'd heard all the stories—what if something terrible had happened to her? It was already getting dark outside when he made up his mind and dug through his pockets for her cell phone number. Kagome's mother insisted that he take it with him as a precaution but he still felt it would be terribly forward of him to call her private number when she didn't even know he had her number…

But he had to know if she was alright.

…

…

Sango was pacing. _Where the hell is she?_ It was nearly 7:00 by now and she hadn't heard a peep from her roommate. Until now she'd given Kagome the benefit of the doubt. _She must want some alone time with her fiancé…_

But they should have had the decency to call her at the least! She had endured a public appearance with Miroku to get his help with shopping for dinner. Sango really wanted to do something nice for Kagome; so she put up with her amorous boyfriend and his wandering hands. She slaved away making her very best _yakisoba_ using all of Kagome's favorite ingredients and everything. She took a shower and cleaned the apartment, hung a sloppy "_omeddetou__" _or "congrats" sign up and all before 5:00, so that they would be surprised when they got home from the airport.

By 5:30 she felt silly for rushing. Around 6:15 she felt a little annoyed. At 7:04 she started to panic as thoughts of muggings and other horrors came to mind. _God, what if they've been carjacked_—that thought stopped Sango in her tracks. _MY CAR.__ KAGOME HAS _MY_CAR._

Her hand flashed to her jean pocket, searching for the hard outline of her cell phone. Consideration be damned. This was about her car; her baby. As her fingers deftly punched Kagome's number, her thoughts grew darker. _Where the hell is she?_

…

…

For the millionth time in her life, Kagome cursed her luck and wondered how something so small could make so much noise by vibrating. She tugged on her hands experimentally, in case the phone had magically loosened them.

No such luck. The phone vibrated again and Kagome bit her lip while throwing worried expressions back and forth between her hip and Inu Yasha, who somehow had not been shaken out of his reverie yet. She slowly and painfully twisted herself against the back of the car seat in a vain attempt to dislodge the phone from her pocket or perhaps magically hit a button that would make it shut up. After a few gentle attempts, the phone began vibrating anew and panic overrode judgment. She moved wildly, praying for whoever was calling to take a hint and hang up.

A seat belt buckle hit her square in a kidney and caused her to yelp at the sudden pain. She glanced quickly at Inu Yasha.

…Who was looking right back at her as though she was wearing a lobster for a hat. His eyes slowly traced the path from Kagome's outstretched arms to where they disappeared into his hair. After processing for a moment, his eye gave a single twitch in response and swung back to face Kagome fully again.

Humans have a mechanism built into their mind that is referred to as "fight or flight". Kagome's body had hit the "flight" button and she immediately tried to remove herself from the dangerous situation. At the same time, the phone began to vibrate once again. Her eyes filled with panic as Inu Yasha reached for her.

Her fists closed tightly with her eyes in preparation of the coming attack. When he was close enough for her to feel his breath her nerves broke and she curled into a ball and screamed, "Loreal, right?"

When she pulled herself inwards, however, she had forgotten that she was still connected to Inu Yasha's hair. In effect, what she had done was to pull him into the nape of her neck and hold him against the back of her own head.

She felt the tension drop from him and turn into a confused energy. Muffled and warm against her neck, Inu Yasha softly said, "Keh…Because I'm worth it."

…

…

Koga stopped again to sniff the air. Sure people looked at him like he was crazy, but that didn't matter. He'd found her trail and was standing outside of what must be her apartment complex. Her scent was already fading, though. She hadn't been here in hours; that was certain. Now he had to decide what to do next.

Just as he decided to go inside he ran into a young woman. He gave an embarrassed "excuse me" and stopped cold. This one smelled like Kagome. Brazenly, he reached out and caught the woman by her shoulder.

Without a second of hesitation, though, she ducked from his grip, turned, grabbed his wrist and swiftly twisted herself behind him, using the offending limb to pin him into submission.

"Whoa! Sorry! I am not trying to hurt you!" He gasped out, impressed by the quick reaction and strength of the woman. He tried to get a better look at her over his shoulder but she tucked his arm further behind his own back, making him wince.

"Don't even try it. I am in no mood buddy. Besides, I'm not the one who should be worried about getting hurt, huh?" She viciously twisted his wrist again.

"Damn. Kagome hangs out with some tough people." He mumbled it more to himself, but his captor overheard and gasped, loosening her grip momentarily before re-establishing it as tighter than before.

"**Kagome-****chan****wa****doko**"

"Where is Kagome?" She asked darkly.

Koga's mind worked furiously. His family was originally from Japan and his tutors made sure that he studied his native tongue, but no one had spoken Japanese to him in nearly twenty years. He struggled for a moment and then pulled the answer from the vaults of his memory.

"**Wa-Wakarimasen****Honto****ni**"

"I-I don't know! I swear!"

After a moment's hesitation, she released him and spun him around to face her. With a sickening wave he recognized her from that day at the DMV when he'd been so completely humiliated. This was Kagome's friend... _Crap._

Apparently, she had recognized him, too. "What the hell are you doing here?"

_What was her name? …Sango! _

"I was looking for Kagome. It would seem that I'm not the only one, though. It's Sango, right?"

The woman snorted at this and let one hand rest on her slender hip. She looked profoundly unsympathetic to his cause. "Why are _you_ looking for Kagome-chan, anyway? Didn't have enough fun making an ass of yourself the other day?"

_Ouch. So that's how it is, eh?_

Koga felt his patience wearing thinner by the moment. "I went to take my test today, if you must know, but she wasn't there. The old ladies said she went off with that mu—" the glare she directed at him warned him not to finish that particular word. "Ah, that other guy and hadn't come back for a few hours. I don't trust that guy and wanted to find Kagome to make sure she was safe." He gave an offended sniff.

The woman looked seriously worried by this. She bit her lower lip indecisively before she spoke. "Shit."

…

…

After that horrible incident with the hair, Kagome could barely look at Inu Yasha much less ask about what was going on. There were so many questions—not the least of which being "do hanyous ever go to the restroom?"

At least he seemed as affected as she was. That made her feel a little better. It was nearly 9:00, though, by the time they finally stopped at a seedy gas station. As he got out to fill up the tank, Kagome stretched and headed towards the station.

Inu Yasha turned on her, suddenly. "Where do you think you're going?"

Kagome was stunned for a moment by his attitude. She quickly morphed from shock to anger. "What business is it of yours?" She turned on her heel with her chin lifted indignantly. _Jerk._

But he was in front of her, somehow, and staring intensely. "I asked you where you were going."

"Hey. Asshole. Newsflash for ya: I. Have. To. Pee."

His face flushed in embarrassment and he could only stutter as she marched past him. _Honestly, where did he _think _I was going?!_

Kagome stormed into the dilapidated store and barked a single word at the indifferent clerk, "Bathroom!"

He looked up from his girly magazine, nonplussed. Aside from looking rather dirty and slightly stoned, Kagome noted his name tag: "Hi! My name is Bobbers ." She tried not to openly shudder.

After looking her up and down, he smirked and jerked his head to the door at the back of the building. She quickly made her way to the facilities with one thought on her mind. _In. Out. And with as little skin contact as humanly possible._

…

…

Inu Yasha cursed himself again. _Stupid.__ You cannot keep her with you. What happens when they catch up? Think _He's_ going to say, 'oh, this has nothing to do with you, young lady; be on your way, now'__? No__t bloody likely. She'll be hurt or killed or worse. Just dump her now, while you have the chance. She's probably calling the cops right now anyway._

With a sinking feeling in his stomach he through the gears into reverse and sped off into the night.

…

…

"Shit."

Sango had been more irritated than worried when she called the cabbie. She had called Kagome but she didn't answer. That was _not_ like her at all. Kagome would probably stop dying if it meant that she didn't miss a call. But after letting the phone ring for an eternity, Kagome's perky voicemail picked up. That was when Sango decided it was time to take some action. She didn't know much, but she had to at least start with what she had: Kagome was supposed to pick up Hojo at the airport around 4:00 this afternoon. So she had called a cabbie and was on her way out of the building when this guy bumped into her and suddenly tried to grab her.

Now Sango was what some might call a "bad ass". Her father had firmly insisted that his daughter would be able to defend herself if she was going to be on her own. So while she was not proficient in any one particular martial art, she was well grounded in about two defensive arts, one offensive art and had even studied kendo briefly.

She had almost felt sorry for the poor sap who was probably just trying to hit on her - until he mentioned Kagome. That got her attention.

When she noticed it was the other guy from the DMV, though, her mood actually got worse than ever. He had calmly explained that her roommate was actually missing and last seen with Inu Yasha a few hours before she was supposed to pick up her finance.

_FIANCE?__Dammit__, Kagome-__chan__, what are you thinking? You've been having a mental affair with a total stranger for the last week without mentioning that you are about to get married?_

"Shit," Sango repeated. The guy looked slightly guilty and introduced himself properly. That was just about the same time that the cab drove up and began honking for her. After a moment's indecision, she grabbed Koga by the wrist and pulled him towards the cab. "I'm going to the airport to see if she was there or not. That's the last place she was supposed to be today. Your nose can help me, right?"

Koga was a little shaken by how quickly she took charge. "S-sure" he stammered. She figured that he was a youkai, then. It was a little odd that she didn't seem to mind but he didn't have time to linger on those thoughts since she was busy shoving him into a taxi cab.

…

…

_She probably doesn't recognize this number. I wouldn't blame her for not answering._

Luckily for him, Hojo was a born optimistic. Even as the souvenir shops closed around him, he remained faithful that she was on her way. Everyone knew how bad traffic was in Boston, after all! But she would be there soon.

…

…

Sango took a deep breath and repeated the question one more time. "Where… is… the… flight... from… TO-KEY-OH?" she asked through grated teeth and using hand movements to accentuate her point. The lady just looked terrified and shook her head violently in response. Koga saw Sango tense in preparation to jump the desk and strangle this woman and grabbed her by the waist just before she sprung. There was already a low growl emanating from her delicate neck, so Koga knew he was just in time.

He carried her until they were out of sight from the help desk and set her down. "Look, Sango. It's just like I already said—she hasn't been here. At all."

"But! The letter! What's going on? Where is she? Where is my car? Where is Hojo? Why don't they hire people that speak English to work here? _I_ even speak English!" With each unanswered question she threw her hands higher into the air. By the last exclamation she was nearly hysterical again and was getting a lot of attention—particularly from security.

Koga put his hands on each of her elbows and pinned them to her sides to keep them from thrashing. "CALM DOWN, WOMAN!" He bellowed at her. That _really_ made security nervous. "Look, let's get out of here. You can tell me more about this letter in the cab." And with that he ushered a protesting Sango out of the terminal.

…

…

She had to admit it. Kagome was somehow impressed. The stall was barely big enough for her to sit down and not hit her knees against the stall door and the seat itself was enough to discourage any who might be silly enough to think it was safe for use. But that wasn't the impressive part. What was so amazing was the stall door itself: it was covered in writing; all different scripts and ink colors but so dense that you couldn't tell what the original color of the door had been. And what, pray tell, would someone write on a bathroom stall?

She was transfixed in her horror. She couldn't believe that_ anyone_ would be willing to have intercourse in this cesspool much less admit it. But that's what the stall door was. It was like a log of all the adventurous couples who had had sex in that particular log. And they were dated. When she noticed that particular detail, she immediately set to searching for the most recent date as she quickly finished her business.

_Oh god. Please not today… please not today… please no— _when she saw today's date she felt a shiver of repulsion run up her spine. But when she saw the name attached to today's date she felt the chunks rise. It was different in that there was only one name listed: Bobbers.

…

…

The light had cycled through at least three times already and still wouldn't turn green. At this point Inu Yasha began to suspect foul play. He also began to feel like a total jerk. With more than a few curses, he turned the car around, hoping that nothing happened to her.

…

…

Kagome ran the water as hot as possible and prayed that she wouldn't have to look at "Bobbers" on her way out.

While she was hungry for some real food, she really wanted to get out of this place. Bobbers was still on register and still reading his literature when she came out of the restroom. She hoped he wouldn't pay her any heed and practically ran out of the station.

Only to find the lot was completely empty.

He left her. Inu Yasha had left her behind. Tears of fear and anger stung her eyes as she dug through her pocket for her cell phone. When she felt it safely in her grip she paused to take in her bearings and think about her situation.

…_where am I, anyway? I think it's safe to say we're outside of New York City, but how far? Think Kagome, think! Which direction were you taking this whole time?_ She bit her lip in frustration as the tears came free to run down her cheeks. _You weren't paying attention were you? No. You were all caught up in your little fantasy. Now what? You're lost. You're alone—except for Bobbers, at least__—and to top it all off, he left with Sango's car. _

That was like a blow to the head. She didn't need to be scared of what would happen to her: if she was alive when she finally saw her roommate again, it wouldn't be for long.

_Oh, god! Sango-__chan__! She must be worried sick!_

Kagome looked to her cell phone and swore. _Two missed calls!_ Her phone cheerfully blinked at her. But there weren't any messages. She checked to see if anyone aside from Sango had called—more out of habit than anything else. There was a second number, but she didn't recognize the area code or the number. _Hmm. That's odd. They didn't leave a message, either. __Must have been a wrong number.__ But that's not important. What am I going to tell Sango-__chan__? How am I supposed to get home? Maybe I can call the police and tell them I was kidnapped? But then they'd be after __Inu__Yasha__…_

As she stood in the middle of the gas station parking lot she found herself distracted from the task at hand by a sudden downpour of rain.

Swearing like a sailor, she ducked back into the store. Desperation took over at this point and she dialed Sango's number, willing to take the verbal beating if it got her home, dry, and safe.

bum-Bum-BUM!

The chime was so loud it hurt her unsuspecting ears. She looked accusingly at her phone's screen, demanding an explanation. It took her a moment to notice that she didn't have a signal. _Dammit__! Maybe I __could get a bar or two outside… if it wasn't raining cats and dogs, maybe. __Dammit__Inu__Yasha__! I will get you for this!_

"Sumptin wrong, sweetie?" Kagome nearly fainted when the voice came out of nowhere to remind her that she wasn't alone. She spun to see Bobbers leaning over the counter with a lecherous grin plastered across his unshaven face.

She couldn't bring herself to respond or to break eye contact with the terrible man. He took her silence for confusion. "Whassa matter, sweetie? No speaky English?" He wheezed a laugh that spoke of years of alcohol. Then with an exaggerated expression he loudly and slowly attempted to communicate with her. "Ko-nee-chi-wa. Me likey rice, too? You likey noodles?" And he leered and laughed again. Kagome was frozen with fear and disgust.

Bobbers moved slowly, never breaking eye contact—as if he were holding her with a spell—and came around the counter. Once Kagome realized the one barrier between them was gone, though, the spell was broken and she ran for the door.

Thunder was rolling overhead and the rain blinded her but she knew she couldn't stop. She thought back to all those made for TV movies and after school specials filled with women who were victims. And she thought, _not me. I will NOT be a victim!_

She stopped running and turned. Bobbers was standing in front of the store. Kagome stood her ground, thinking as calmly as she could when she heard it.

Tires squealing.

An impossible hope rose in her but she did not allow herself to break her stance. If she looked and it _wasn't_ Inu Yasha, she didn't think she could take it.

"OOOOOOOOOiii! WEENNCCHH!"

She saw Sango's car come splashing through the empty lot to stop between her and the station. Inu Yasha had barely stopped the car before he was out of it and headed for Bobbers, who was no longer holding his ground, but scrambling to get back into the safety of the store.

In the time it took Inu Yasha to get the terrified clerk in his grip, Kagome came unfrozen. She no longer felt any fear. Only anger.

She advance upon the front of the store where Bobbers was being interrogated.

"_**DID YOU TOUCH HER? I SWEAR I WILL TEAR YO—"**_

"Inu Yasha…" Kagome let the syllables roll from deep in her chest, resulting in a dramatic and deep delivery. At the tone in her voice, the rage visibly melted off the hanyou and his ears pressed submissively against his head when he saw the expression on Kagome's face.

He slowly let the other man go, oblivious to his squeals of fear as he locked himself inside the store. Inu Yasha had gone into a rage when he got to the station to find Kagome in a stand-off with the seedy man. And then he smelled Kagome's fear. That was when he lost it. Now he remembered that this was technically all his fault. Kagome stood in front of him now, her slim frame somehow transformed into a long-forgotten Goddess of Revenge and War. His mind raced to find some way to appease her before she killed him—but could only come up with one word.

"Shit."

* * *

AN: That was a really long chapter... it was getting pretty intense, too! I promise, I'll try to keep it lighter in the next chapter!

I hope someone is reading out there...


	9. Details Schmetails

A/N: I wanted to get this one out, so it is a bit short. --;; Sorry. But at least you can be happy--this is where I get down to the actual plot and start explaining what's going on with Inu Yasha. Enjoy!

* * *

"What do you mean, fiancé?!" Koga roared again. It was all he could say, at this point. Koga was confused by the situation and that always made him irritable. He liked to be in control—it was part of his charm that he was always confident.

But everything was going wrong. Just a few days before, he had found the woman. She was perfect—even if she was just human—he had decided. Then the woman he chose is abducted by the filthy half-breed. That was enough to send him into a rage. But when Sango had informed him that Kagome, that was his woman's name, was in fact engaged to someone else altogether… well, it definitely changed things. It didn't change his feelings towards Kagome, but only stirred his competitive nature.

Sango took a deep breath and tried again. "Look. You aren't listening to me. The letter doesn't say anything specific, but there's nothing else it could be about. And Kagome _never_ mentioned this guy before—there is something weird going on here!"

At the panic in her voice Koga checked his whirling thoughts. The smell of distress on a female may be attractive to some sickos, but he thought of himself as a gentleman. He tried to calm both of them down. "Okay. We need some answers. Let's have a look at this letter, first of all. And food. Food would be good." His stomach growled with enthusiasm.

Sango laughed—Koga was surprised at how delicate it sounded. "Well, if you don't mind reheating, I had made some yakisoba…"

Before she could finish or explain further, his ears twitched and Koga nodded fervently. "Yes. Food. Good." When she laughed again, he rewarded her with a dashing smile.

…

The silent treatment sucks. Not only is it wholly unsatisfying to leave your thoughts unspoken, but it can be really boring when there are only two people in the car and one of them will not speak to you.

Inu Yasha couldn't remember the last time he'd had his ears pinned for so long. Okay, so he screwed up. He knew that—and even admitted it! But she would not budge. At first, when they got back into the car, he wasn't sure what to do next. Should he take her back to New York? People would be waiting for him, there. Take her with him? He shuddered at the thought of dealing with this amount of bitching on a daily basis. This chick was so sensitive—he couldn't do anything right!

But she wasn't speaking to him right now and it was driving him nutty. It was already morning, for crying out loud! He drove all night with no sleep for lack of anything better to do. He couldn't be sure if she had slept at all, though. Once again, Inu Yasha found that in a fight between his patience and his curiosity, patience didn't stand a chance.

"Oi. Listen. I _told_ you: at least I came back, right?" From the icy silence he guessed that wasn't the right response. _Dammit__. Maybe… shit. Maybe I should just tell her and let her choose what she wants…_

…

…

It wasn't that Kagome wouldn't listen to him—oh, she heard every word that came out of his mouth. She was thinking. Inu Yasha had left her. He left and drove off in a car that wasn't even Kagome's much less his. He'd left her in the middle of nowhere in a really dangerous situation. And while he did show up just in the nick of time to save her, that didn't mean that she could trust him.

So while he dug himself deeper and deeper, Kagome was thinking of what would happen next.

_It's obvious he wants to ditch me. He says he's being followed but hasn't said why or where we are going. The next time I leave his side, I may be totally stranded. My cell phone batteries are nearly dead and I still can't get a signal to call Sango._

Kagome sighed deeply, causing the hanyou to twitch violently at the unexpected noise. She took a deep breath to steady herself and took the plunge.

"Inu Yasha. What is going on?"

That was all she said. The ball was in his court now. _Let's see what he's got._

…

…

Hojo woke bleary eyed and confused. It took a moment for him to get his bearings straight. He wasn't anywhere familiar… When he tried to stretch out the crick firmly lodged in his neck, however, he noticed that he wasn't alone.

A little boy was sleeping next to him. Well, to be more accurate, the kid was sleeping _on_ him. While this may have been cute in a smarmy Hallmark short of way, the string of drool between the child's mouth and his shoulder was a bit hard to handle first thing in the morning.

Ever the gentleman, though, Hojo curtailed his disgust and gently woke the boy. "Excuse me? Little boy? You seem to be… um, that is… would you mind… ah… please wake up."

Two green eyes peered irritably out from beneath the boy's long bangs. They held Hojo's uncomfortable gaze for a moment before the boy muttered, "Mfph. Sleep," and snuggled back down into Hojo's shoulder.

Sighing in defeat, Hojo turned his thoughts to the more imperative: like where was Higurashi-san? He wished he had brought that letter with him, so he could check again where they were supposed to meet.

As if in answer to his silent prayer, his cell phone chimed brightly. He had thought about trying to call Higurashi-san with his cell phone, but it would be an international call and he didn't want her to spend that kind of money. The sleeping boy paid him no heed as Hojo shifted his weight to see who was calling him.

He nearly wept when he recognized the number as Kagome's mother.

"Moshi moshi?" Hojo politely answered.

**"Hello?"**

"Moshi moshi! Hojo-san desuka?" Kagome's mother brightly responded, following Japanese protocol.

**"Yes, Is this ****Hojo****?"**

"Ah. Soudesu ne. Ohaiyougozaimasu."

**"Yes, good morning."**

"Hojo-san…" there was a chiding note to her voice. "Doko desuka? Kagome no apato ni imasuka?"

**"****Hojo****… where are you? ****Kagome's apartment?"**

Hojo felt his face burn in embarrassment. He had completely forgotten that he was supposed to call Kagome's mother when they met up. Before he could answer, though, Kagome's mother continued.

"Nyu-Yoku Shi-chi mada ni imasuka?"

**"Are you in New York City yet?"**

"Ah… are? Nyu-Yoku desuka? Chigau. Bosuton, ne?"

**"****Wha****… What? New York? Don't you mean Boston?"**

There was a long pause and a deep sigh on the other end. When she spoke again, it was slowly.

"…Hojo-san wa… Bosuton in imasuka?"

**"…You're in****…**** Boston?"**

"Hai. Soudesu ne."

**"Yes, ma'am."**

"…Nyu-Yoku ni nan ji ni itte imasuka?"

**"…when are you going to New York?"**

"… Nani? Kagome-san wa Bosuton ni aimasenka?"

**"…What? Am I not meeting Kagome in Boston?"**

This time the pause was very long indeed. Hojo felt beads of sweat building at his brow. This might explain why she hasn't come yet.

…

…

_Well, now. She's quite the cook!_ Sango had brought Koga back to the apartment to eat and help her search for clues in the mysterious letter. He was on his third helping already and still moaned appreciatively with every bite. It had been a long time since he'd had authentic Japanese food.

After eating and cleaning up their mess, Sango and Koga got down to business. It was snooping time.

…

…

Kagome considered herself to be a pretty laid-back kind of girl. Sure, she had a bit of a temper, but at least she knew it. She found herself more than a little strained, though, at the pathetic yarn Inu Yasha was feeding her now. She glanced again at the back seat, a little frightened that she hadn't noticed the long parcel Inu Yasha had brought with them.

They were sitting at a moderately clean truck stop, stretching their legs and enjoying some fresh air. They had scrounged between the seats and found enough change to buy a newspaper for Kagome to read. Kagome sighed and put the paper down. "So. Clean slate. Try again."

Inu Yasha took a deep breath, trying to keep his temper. "Okay… For the last time. _That_," he said, gesturing to the black object in the back seat, "is what's going on. It is a sword. A very pretty, powerful and mother-trucking old sword. With me so far?"

"Basically. Pretty sword. Got it." Kagome nodded for him to continue. Her brow was actually furrowed in concentration as she listened to his story once more.

"Good. So this sword belonged to my father. My father died. My older half-brother expected to get it along with the rest of my father's money and assets. Surprise, surprise: _I _got Tetsusaiga and Fluffy got the other sword, Tensaiga." As Kagome opened her mouth to ask, Inu Yasha beat her to the punch. "Don't. This is confusing enough as it is. I'll explain it to you when you're older."

Kagome folded her arms in a half-hearted pout.

"So. I have Tetsusaiga. But Fluffy wants it—" Kagome couldn't help interrupting.

"By 'Fluffy', you mean your brother?"

Inu Yasha sighed, as if it pained him to actually admit it. "Yes."

Kagome's look of skepticism returned. "Right. Your brother, the most successful demon model of the last 100 years, Sesshoumaru. Gotcha." She shot him a look and smirk indicating he was losing credibility fast.

"Do you want to hear the story or not? Look, I don't like him, he doesn't like me. We only have the same father—other than that, we have _nothing_ in common."

Kagome stuck up a protesting finger, "Uh-uh!" She took in a sensuous breath and sighed, "…your hair!" As Inu Yasha half-heartedly sent a clawed hand in her direction he only caught a trail of giggles. He growled in his most masculine tone to cover his embarrassment.

"ANY-way… I have Tetsusaiga, Fluffy wants it—"

"So why do you call him 'Fluffy'?"

"Wench! I think I liked it better when you weren't talking at all!" Inu Yasha was so impressed with his own comment that he failed to notice Kagome had rolled up the newspaper and was holding it much like a baseball bat. "Keh. Tha—OOOW!"

…

…

Sango woke to the sound of knocking. As she willed herself awake, she found that sitting up wasn't an option.

Her sleep-riddled mind processed slowly the situation. _Mm. __Can't move._ Her hand groped for the lamp that should have been within her reach; only to find her arm flailing in empty air and falling limp against the edge of the couch. _Couch? __Wha__…_

And then it came back. She had brought that demon—Koga—with her when she went to the airport to look for Kagome and Hojo. But they hadn't found either of them. So they went back to her apartment to look for clues. They ate… he was smiling a lot… Sango vaguely remembered the sake coming out… and nothing after that came to mind.

Her eyes flew open to see if her surroundings would offer some insight. Unfortunately, her eyes stopped when they reached the half-naked demon draped across her legs and hanging half-way off the couch.

She turned so quickly that her head nearly flew off when there was another knock at the door. Her eyes flew to the clock in the kitchen. She had completely missed her morning shift at work. She was supposed to go out with Miroku in the afternoon, so she had swit—_OH SHIT._

Sango threw her feet off the couch, sending Koga's inert form flying across the floor. She looked down to see what kind of a state she was in. _Oh god, where are my pants?!_

The knocking was becoming more intense. She had to hurry. _WHERE.__ARE.__ MY. __PANTS._ Her eyes searched the room furiously for anything to cover herself. In her haste, she tripped over Koga and nearly broke the floor lamp with her shin.

From the door she heard her boyfriend's voice. "My love? Whither thou be-ith?" His cheerful and sing-song tone only added to the pain.

_CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!_

…

…

Inu Yasha gathered the remnants of his wounded pride as best he could and continued with his story. "So I had the sword after my father died. Yes '_had_'. My" he spit the word, "_brother_… sent some of his lackeys to steal it from me."

This time, in her silence Kagome seemed to feel his suffering. It was really unsettling to feel like he was being understood. Nobody understood Inu Yasha, but he knows this chick for a week and her heart starts bleeding at the drop of a hat? Not cool. "That was nearly a year ago. I've been tailing my brother around the fu— uh, damn world trying to find an opening to get my sword back." Inu Yasha saw 'that look' on Kagome's face at his choice of language and quickly revised.

Kagome nodded and picked up the story. "That was why you had to go on Wednesday, right? You had a chance to get the sword back."

"Right. But I almost got there too late, no thanks to a certain some—"

"Don't _even_ blame that on me, Mr. _I-can't-remember-all-my-paperwork_!" Kagome was laughing again. Maybe that was why he didn't take her back to New York immediately last night. Even if she was a serious pain in his ass her laugh always affected him…

"—ANY-way! I got my sword back yesterday but I needed my driver's license so that I could drive my baby to Las Vegas. Remember: I have a motorcycle, yes, and a license for that. BUT that is a completely different license from driving a big boy car. I needed to be sure I could keep Tetsusaiga safe—not just strapped against my back with nothing but a leather case to protect it."

Kagome nodded sagely. "So… you need to go to Las Vegas… I'm sorry, but you lost me at that part—I mean, the mafia?"

He suppressed a growl. "Look. I told you, I didn't _know_ she ran the Las Vegas mafia when we met. A lot of shit went down and we split on good terms. …considering. Anyway, the only person on the planet that is scarier than my brother is Kikyo's lawyer. I'm serious, the guy is spawn of Satan."

Kagome sighed. "Okay, fine. So we've got to get to the protection of the mafia—which is run by your ex-girlfriend—"

A thought came to Inu Yasha and he interrupted her. "You know you kinda look like her. Huh. Freaky."

His interjection had frozen the girl beside him. Her eyes bored into the side of his skull as he refused to make eye contact or admit that he maybe should have kept that to himself.

Kagome continued icily. "Right. So we're heading to Las Vegas." She ticked off on her fingers, "…you have no _license_, no real money, and oh, no cell phone, right?"

Inu Yasha considered these seriously for a moment before responding, "Yup."

* * *

A/N: Yeah, I know it's short. But my hands are cold and we got a lot covered, right? Right. Toodles. 


	10. On the Road

* * *

A/N: To those reading out there--yay for you. I really enjoy writing and I hope you all are enjoying reading, too. While I love to write, a little encouragement now and then is good for the ego, saavy?

Seriously, though, thank you for reading.

Just remember that I don't own deese guys so you no suey me, kk? Thanks.

* * *

Sango was a rational creature

Sango was a rational creature. She liked to be in control of a situation, to know who all the players were and what kind of a threat they may pose at any given time. Perhaps it was that which had originally attracted her to Miroku--the man was impossible to understand. She never knew what he was thinking beyond the next grope. While he infuriated her in that way, she still couldn't bring herself to dislike him. In all actuality, he was the only man she'd ever met that was able to keep her so unbalanced.

...And the fact that he could be absolutely adorable when he wanted something didn't hurt either.

Unfortunately for Sango, however, Miroku knew _exactly _what _she _was thinking. And he liked it that way. While spending years honing his lecherous persona, Miroku had come to accept that there were some things about him that others just couldn't understand. There were moments with Sango, though, where she came disturbingly close to seeing said things which had been so carefully hidden.

At this moment, however, Miroku couldn't decide how to react. Sango was home, even though her car wasn't. That was most unusual. Then, the lights were off. At first, he thought that perhaps she was still at work when she didn't answer after the first knock. Then he heard someone moving around inside the apartment.

He knocked again. He pressed his ear against the door to listen: fabric rustling... couch creaking... silence... and suddenly a solid and dull THUMP as bone contacted with something heavy and solid. He winced at the thought of the pain attached to the sound.

He knocked again, feeling slightly annoyed for some reason. This wasn't like her at all. Perhaps she stayed up too late and decided to take a nap after she got home from work? From experience Miroku knew better than to hurry Sango when she'd just woken up; but still... His inner mischief maker won over his common sense and he decided to tease her a little.

In a stroke of genius, he put on his most annoying voice--sounding like something out of a Disney musical, "My love? Whither thou be-ith?"

He heard Sango swearing under her breath and smiled softly to himself. He imagined her as she might be right now: shirt partially un-tucked... hair untidy and falling out of her usual ponytail. Her lovely eyes maybe haven't even been made up yet. Miroku considered himself somewhat of a purist. The less make-up, the better, so far as he was concerned. For some reason, though, his girlfriend always got embarrassed when he caught her without any make-up on.

He heard her trip again but this time the muffled noise was not feminine. Not at all. In fact, it sounded very much... masculine. As in... made by a man.

... _Crap_...

* * *

Sango had found her jeans lying on the floor, pinned underneath the still comatose Koga. Outside the door Miroku had gotten quiet. _Good. That perv is probably imagining things right now in his dirty mind. That should buy me a little more time...  
_  
She tried pulling her pants by the legs from beneath the sleeping demon, but nothing doing. Now Sango wasn't weak by any means but a full grown man is a lot of meat. Heavy meat. She grunted and braced a foot against Koga's hip for leverage. Still the jeans wouldn't move. Finally she reversed her position. With her back to Koga, she pulled the free legs of the jeans through her legs until they were taut under the limp body. Then she pushed one foot against Koga's inert form and pulled the jeans with all of her might.

...Which seemed to be considerable when she saw Koga flip from his stomach to his back and off the couch to the floor where he once again tumbled from bottom to top. Even the wolf demon couldn't sleep through that. With each change in position he grunted, yelped and groaned more loudly.

By now Sango was in total panic. Wildly she jumped into her jeans, no longer caring if Koga made noise. Surely Miroku had already heard a man's voice and jump to conclusions. Quiet frankly Sango didn't even know if the conclusions were justified or not and that was the worst part.

As she desperately tried to finish tidying herself up, she heard a great sob from behind the door followed by the pathetic wail:

"SANGO, MY LOVE HOW COULD YOU BETRAY MEEEEEEEEEEE?!"

* * *

Inu Yasha was a solitary creature. He did not enjoy "hanging" around with others- human, hanyou, or demon. He was barely comfortable with himself for Pete's sake. So having this human girl with him was really not feeling right. He was short tempered and abrasive and he knew it. But Inu Yasha didn't mind. He'd always been prone to the path of self-destruction--and when you don't really like yourself to begin with, it doesn't seem such a bad path to be on.

It was weird enough for her just being so near to him but when you add on all the odd things about her... Like how he always caught her looking at him. At first it was kind of flattering. But now it was just annoying. And it was more than a little unnerving how well she played mind games with him. Sometimes she was such a child but still... there was something else... something almost like... an urge to _protect _her or something... Just thinking like that got him pissed off, though. _Keh. Turning soft._

He didn't want her with him. Kagome was baggage that he didn't need right now. He needed to focus on putting a serious amount of road between New York City and Tetsuaiga. This trip was going to be plenty unpleasant enough without having to worry about some random chick that was infatuated with him.

And there were quite a few technical problems with the whole situation anyway.  
1. This was technically a stolen car. It wasn't Kagome's--she had reminded him of that every time he went over 50 mph. If it wasn't his or Kagome's and they got pulled over, it could mean serious trouble. Not that he was worried about prison--its just that it would make it a whole lot easier for Fluffy and his goons to find him, take the sword and leave him to rot.  
2. Technically he didn't have a license. So being pulled over was NOT an option. That meant that he had to play it safe with the speeding. And that meant that Jakken and the others were probably gaining on them. He wasn't about to let the girl drive! She didn't even know the way, for one thing. Besides, he wasn't ready to trust her yet. Sure he told her the story with the sword, but he hadn't really warned her about the people she was getting involved with...  
3. They both were technically out of money; or would be the next time they filled the tank. They didn't have time to work their way to Las Vegas and she certainly didn't seem the kind who could pull off a decent con...

_Oh yeah. This is gonna be great. Sunshine and butterflies. ...Shit..._

* * *

Kagome was not a solitary creature. Nor was she particularly rational. She lived by her emotions and often took comfort in the presence of friendly faces. So being stuck with an arrogant, foul-mouthed, ill-mannered and self-absorbed piece of beef cake was like torture. Sure he was handsome, but so what? Like the truism says, never judge a book by its cover. She was scared right now and really needed someone to talk to, to take her mind off of things and just chill out with.

Instead she was with a hostile hanyou in her friend's car on a trip across the country to seek the protection of his ex-girlfriend/Mafia boss all-the-whilst being chased by his cutthroat brother's henchmen.

She shuddered at the thought of what she was doing right now. It was Saturday morning but something told her she wouldn't be ready for class on Monday. She was about to throw away her chance to study in America for a guy that was:  
1. A stranger so far as she was concerned. It still felt odd to be around the same person for so long and in such a small space. And after she'd been in America for so long she thought she'd gotten used to being called by her first name by strangers. But for some reason hearing Inu Yasha call her by her name made her heart beat a little faster. Sure it wasn't often that he said it, but... maybe it was the fact that he was Japanese that made her feel so ...weird... about him using her first name already.  
2. A hanyou--and an unstable one at that. She didn't know much about demons and hanyou other than that they were incredibly strong and they weren't entirely human. When she saw Inu Yasha transforming in the parking lot yesterday it reminded her that he really wasn't human. That didn't make him evil or beneath her or anything else like that--just different. …And potentially dangerous.  
3. Incredibly attractive. It was starting to get annoying, actually. Pretty boys like Inu Yasha didn't have the same worries as pretty girls. Girls still had to worry about hair, make-up, clothes, etc, to better showcase their prettiness while boys just had to get out of bed every day. So. Not. Fair. Not that Kagome considered herself a "pretty girl". She wasn't ugly but she was no contest for some like Sango. She never put a lot of effort into her appearance and it never really bothered her until spending 36 hours in a car with Inu Yasha. She felt and looked like Death (and not warmed-over Death, oh no. More like Death left in the sun to rot.) –while he looked ready for a photo shoot.

Add to all this the fact that they were one bored cop away from being put in jail for driving without a license, carrying a weapon without a license, oh, and driving a stolen vehicle. Kagome knew that Sango was probably going crazy with worry/rage right about now. Another wave of guilt hit her. This was a really bad idea.

Kagome sighed quietly to herself and looked at the passing country outside her window for comfort. Her life was falling apart and turning into an "adventure" destined to end in prison or worse.

They had the windows rolled down and the sound of passing cars to fill the silence. Kagome felt the gentle rhythm of the wheels on the road rock her to sleep. Her head was resting against her right shoulder; her wavy black hair blown aside by the wind and her cheeks warmed by the sunlight.

Somehow, things still didn't seem so bad...

* * *

Kagome's mother was a worry-wart. It had been hard enough for her to let her only daughter leave home, much less the country to go to school. Kagome had always been a bright and determined child. She shone with confidence and a good nature that had made her many friends in school. Unfortunately, she also had a bit of a temper, a sharp tongue to match and a stubborn streak a mile wide. And so it was with these facts in mind that Mrs. Higurashi had been throwing anything male and between the ages of 18 and 35 at Kagome since she started college.

_The last thing my child needs is more independence. She needs to learn to _depend_ on someone else for once._

Mrs. Higurashi had high hopes when she first saw Kagome walking with a well-groomed young man when she was in high school. His name was Hojo and he came from your run of the mill family. His manners were impeccable. He was certainly cute enough to garner attention from many young ladies--just walking down the street girls would giggle as he passed their way.

There was just one tiny problem...

"...Nani? Kagome-san wa Bouston ni aimasenka?"

**"... What? Am I not meeting Kagome in Boston?"**

He may be sweet but this was NOT a bright child.

After she explained to Hojo that no, he was not supposed to be in Boston and told him to sit tight while she checked in with Kagome, she spent five minutes trying to compose herself. Kagome was a good girl. She should have said something if Hojo never arrived. Surely she could have figured out that he didn't fly to New York. Then _why_ hadn't she called home?

When Kagome's phone went straight to voicemail, she began to go into full-blown panic. Something wasn't right. She could feel it. She dug through all her address books until she found the number for Kagome's roommate, Sango.

A million things were running through her mind but only one word came to her lips:

"…kuso…"

"…**crap…"**

* * *

Koga was a sound sleeper. But even the soundest sleeper will usually stir after tumbling suddenly from a warm place and landing on hard and cold ground. Add to that a piercing wail and _nobody_ could still be asleep.

"SANGO, MY LOVE HOW COULD YOU BETRAY MEEEEEEEEEEE?!"

Koga's hands crept slowly in a vain effort to save his keen ears from the loud cry. He probably could've moved faster if he wasn't currently in a tangled heap on the floor. His head was still fuzzy as he tried to shake the remnants of sleep off. It'd been a while since he'd slept so soundly. He rubbed his ears gently and began a deep and luxurious yawn/stretch combo.

Unfortunately, his mind was still a few steps behind his hearing. He was only vaguely aware of the semi-dressed human woman dancing around him, trying to finish buttoning her jeans and smoothing her ruffled hair. She had a hair tie in her teeth while muttering to herself, "…shitshitshitshitshit…" as her hands moved swiftly behind her head to form a ponytail. As she finished tying her hair she ran to the door and hesitated only a moment before wincing and flinging the door open.

From his vantage point on the floor, it seemed to Koga that the hallway was empty. Apparently it looked the same to Sango, too, since she tentatively stuck her head out into the hall to inspect further. Koga's demon eyes were barely able to see the moment of shock before the voice from earlier returned, draping the corresponding body heavily around Sango's neck. Another pitiful wail resounded from the sobbing man. Koga once again found himself rubbing his ears.

Sagno let the poor man fall to the ground with a pained expression on her face.

"Miroku. Don't make this—"

Miroku whipped his head up to face the woman. "'Don't'? _Don't_?!"

Sango and Koga both stopped at the tone of his voice. Koga could only imagine what was really going on. This man called Miroku may have been acting like a fool before, but a wolf demon's nose knows when a man and woman have a shared scent. This was her boyfriend and he was really upset.

It was at this point that Koga realized why the boyfriend was so upset. A small "eek" escaped as he noticed he was somehow in his boxers in a woman's apartment. The events leading up to this moment suddenly swelled in his memory once more. Jumping to his feet he managed to stay vertical for long enough to catch the attention of the couple at the door.

"Where's my woman?!" he roared. He would have made a break for the door if his feet hadn't been tangled up in the blanket which had been previously covering him.

* * *

This was not going well. Not that Sango thought this would end in anything but disaster… Still, when Miroku looked at her like that… she was shocked. Shocked at how honest he looked and how hurt. And shocked at herself for feeling her heartbreak for making him give her that look.

And THEN! As if this wasn't hard enough, the half-naked demon suddenly 'wakes up' and decides to use the worst choice of words possible.

Just peachy. Now she had to explain to Miroku the whole story—hopefully with a fully dressed Koga to back her up. Except that Koga was already almost out the door and _still_ half-naked. She tried to call out to stop him as her hand reached out to grab for his arm but was stopped by her boyfriend lunging out to grab her legs. Inertia being what it is, Sango (body in motion) was acted upon by an outside force (Miroku), thus stopping the motion but not the momentum. Koga was not really into physics so he was totally unprepared for when Sango crashed into him, knocking them both over and into the hallway with a screaming Miroku in tow.

At which point Miroku reached over Sango's exposed rear-end and began trying to flick Koga's ears. The first time he made contact Koga whelped in surprise and growled threateningly. Miroku's smile was vicious as he flicked and flicked again, all while Koga was twisting and turning to avoid Miroku's attacks. Sango, however, was quite literally stuck in the middle of all of this. After she got an elbow to her ribcage, she let out a bellow of rage.

"THAT IS ENOUGH!"

Both men flinched and froze as Sango untangled herself from between them. Miroku peeked first and tried to defend himself. All he got out was a pointed finger and a breath before Sango cut him off with a death glare. Koga obviously was planning on revenge instead of looking at the goddess of wrath now standing before him. He flicked Miroku's ear only to leave a bright red gash where his claw had struck. _Whoops_ he thought to himself as Sango's screaming resumed.

"Okay, both of you just stop right there! You are both going to listen to me—without interruption—understood?"

Both boys lowered their heads submissively and answered in unison:

"Haiiii…"

"**Yes, ma'am…"**

* * *

Cold eyes locked the toad demon into a cold sweat. Jakken had never been called brave until he began working for Lord Sesshoumaru. Now anyone who knew him thought him very brave indeed. Stupid, but brave.

"What is our policy on tardiness?" A chilled voice came from the deep leather chair. Lord Sesshoumaru hadn't broken eye contact with his henchman since after he had bowed deeply in greeting to his boss and master.

A perky and high-pitched female voice popped into the frozen air between the two demons. For just a moment the icy eyes lost their intensity; just long enough to allow a small twitch of agitation.

Taking in a deep breath the woman began, "It says in the employee handbook, page 443, section 15: 'Boo-boos', clause 9, paragraph iii, sentence 2," she inhaled deeply to continue her barrage of bureaucracy.

Sesshoumaru lifted a finger and the woman halted in mid-breath. She looked expectantly at him. "Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru?"

"Rin. Did I not instruct you to personally revise the handbook this year?"

"Yessir, you did, my Lord! I know it ALLLLL by heart." She grinned impudently. "Why do you ask?"

He seemed irritated to even be saying it. "'Boo-boos'?"

She cocked her head to one side in confusion. "Uh-huh. You know, like you did something wrong: a boo-boo!" She was a human and drastically out of place in the office. She was dressed in a pink sundress, light and short-sleeved with a soft floral design. The shade complimented her creamy complexion and made her eyes an even deeper shade a brown. Her short black hair was curled impishly and the coils seemed to match her innate energy. From the top curl to her pink pumps, she was the perfect example of bubble-gum girly-girl. And she was surrounded by demons thousands of years old and wealthier than small countries.

And she didn't seem to mind in the least, unlike her boss.

Sesshoumaru's eye twitch again, more deeply. "…proceed."

Rin nodded smartly and began again the gigantic breath. "Punctuality is of great importance. Time is money. We lose time, we lose money." She looked at Sesshoumaru who nodded sharply and only once. Satisfied, Rin bowed deeply to excuse herself and headed towards the door.

"Jakken."

The toad flinched. He wasn't able to verbally respond but merely nodded and stepped a tiny bit forward in response to his summons.

"Jakken. Time and money I both have. It is the Tetsuaiga that I have assigned you to bring. Tell me, how much time and money do you have?"

The thinly veiled threat was not lost on Jakken. He swallowed hard. Before he could answer, his master answered himself. "Jakken. You must take the sword. I will have it or you will have nothing." The way the demon lord said the word 'nothing' spoke loudly of what would come if Jakken should dare to fail. Nothing. No money, no home, no possessions, no family, no friends, no joy, no pain, no tomorrow. Nothing. Lord Sesshoumaru had this power. "So, how much time and money do you have?"

Jakken swallowed painfully. "I-I I could perhaps have a better chance of success if I knew …where he was going, my Lord…?" He bowed again.

Sesshoumaru turned in his chair, letting warmth once more return to the toad. He thought only for a moment before a small muscle started to spasm at the corner of his mouth. If one didn't know the great Lord Sesshoumaru, they might be foolish enough to call it a smile…

"The puppy is running to the witch." He turned once more to face Jakken, now that the spasm was over. "Find Kikyo. There you shall find the mutt and my Father's sword."

Jakken bowed deeply and began to back away towards the door.

"Five."

Jakken nearly fell over at the abrupt command. "M-my Lord?"

He nearly fell in the opposite direction when Rin appeared from behind him and shoved a large briefcase towards him. "Five!" She repeated vapidly. When he still looked confused, she explained as one would to a child, "That's how many days you have."

He opened his mouth to protest at the short amount of time when once more the dog demon overrode him. "Time is money. You have in your hands five million dollars. Succeed and you will be paid five million per day." Jakken was beginning a foolish smile while calculating what kind of money that would be when his blood was once more stopped by a pair of unyielding gold eyes. "Remember, failure will yield your destruction. Your time begins at midnight."

At that, Rin pulled and pushed the terrified demon out of the office and closed the door.

* * *

Inu Yasha shivered suddenly.

Kagome looked over lazily. "What, is the AC too high?"

He rubbed a clawed hand over the back of his neck. "Nah. Just a chill."

"Speaking of chills, I need one. Badly."

Inu Yasha paused and re-ran the past few lines through his head. "No, sorry, you lost me."

Kagome sighed theatrically. "Look. We've been driving almost non-stop since New York. I haven't showered or changed close in 48 hours. My cell phone is dead and I haven't had a decent meal since yesterday morning. I. Need. To. Chill. Wakarimasuka? **Understand?**"

"Oi. I didn't ask you to come, alright. This has nothing to do with you. You are just some clingy chick who drools over me and won't take a hint and beat it!"

"Oh, really nice. You know what's funny. YOU DIDN'T ASK ME TO COME. Actually, it is more like **you** kidnapped **me**. You're dragging me and my best friend's car across the country running from these bad guys that your brother 'Fluffy' has sent after that stupid chunk of metal in the back seat. I'm helping to pay for food and gas and _trying_ to be good company while you are being a royal jerk." Kagome was particularly proud of the fact that all this was said in a clinical and calm manner. She kept her eyes forward and her face unreadable as possible.

Inu Yasha looked at her a few times before swearing softly to himself and exiting the highway. He saw her trying to not react, and caught himself smiling at it. She was trying to keep her face impassive, but her neck was craning and her eyes searching to see where he was taking them.

They turned and turned again, over and over until Kagome thought perhaps he'd finally lost it and had gone senile. The sudden image inspired by that thought was of an ancient and wrinkled Inu Yasha chomping his gums together and looking for his dentures was quite amusing.

Finally they pulled into the parking lot of a solitary motel. It was fairly new, on the edge of the city and in an area that was obviously still being developed. The only other building within eyeshot was a gas station about a quarter of a mile away.

By now the sun had set and a comfortable darkness was easing over the parking lot as Kagome silently followed the hanyou into the lobby of the motel. He obviously didn't feel like talking, and since the ball was in his court Kagome decided to be patient for a little bit longer.

While he was in line to check in, Kagome remembered the sword was still in the car. They didn't have any other luggage to speak of, but she figured maybe keeping the tetsa-whozit with them at all times might be a good idea.

Out in the parking lot the air was cool and fresh. The smell of wet grass reminded her of summers back in Japan and she was smiling as she went to open the back door to Sango's car. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she almost didn't notice the movement.

Her eyes had barely noticed something moving out there, in the dark. They were parked on the side of the motel. Most of the room lights were already off and the only light she had to see by was the single lamp of the parking lot and a sliver of moon. But she had seen _something_. She froze and felt the hair raise on the back of her neck. She wasn't exactly a chicken but her imagination had been known to get the better of her every once in a while…

Then she saw. The last window, bottom floor. All the lights were off in the room but she could see the shadows cast against a figure as they drew the drapes aside. She saw a small red dot from a cigarette as it was inhaled and felt her knees buckle when she realized that this person was looking right at her.

Her heart immediately began hammering inside of her chest; it felt as if it was trying to break out and run away by itself, since she couldn't move. Forcing a deep breath, she tried to act casual as she pretended to "hear" someone calling her. She turned and waved, pretending to not be alone. Slamming the door shut she plastered a smile across her face and ran all the way back to the lobby of the motel where Inu Yasha had just finished checking in. He was turning to leave the counter when Kagome plowed into him, panting and jabbering in a mild state of hysteria.

"Oi! What is it?" Inu Yasha seemed disturbed and almost intrigued by what could have freaked out the girl so much. "What's the matter? Is the boogey man out there? Keh. Didn't think you were afraid of the dark."

Kagome was still panting so she calmly reached up with both hands and took one fuzzy ear in each. As she pulled them down to her height, the cocky smile was replaced by one of pain. She put the fake smile back on for effect as she gritted out between her teeth. "I went to get the stupid sword out of the damn car. There was someone sitting in a dark room, smoking a cigarette and watching me. Get it now?" Disgustedly she threw her hands down and to the side, sending the hanyou off-balance and nearly to the ground.

"Wait a minute. I thought you went to get the sword. Where is Tetsuaiga?"

She slowly turned and sent him a level stare daring him to say anything. "Let's go get it, shall we?" She said each word deliberately, hoping he would catch the warning. When she saw that his ears were pressed flat against his head in response, she turned without further ado and they marched back into the night.

* * *

"For the _last_ time: N-O-T-H-I-N-G H-A-P-P-E-N-E-D." Sango had administered first aid to the boys and herself while trying to explain to Miroku that the real problem was that Kagome was still missing. As was Sango's car. She turned her back to the sulking pair as she started making breakfast.

Miroku still had a martyred expression between throwing dirty looks at the wolf demon, but wasn't so foolish as to argue with his girlfriend at the moment. He was working on timing sticking out his tongue at Koga while he wasn't looking when Sango caught him. Literally.

"AGK! Thweede, peez et o ob 'aye 'ongue…"

"You are so childish!"

Despite the humiliation of having his tongue between a pair of tongs, he was quite impressed at what a firm grip she had. _Whatta woman!_ He thought, once more overcome by her beauty and deadly skill with cooking utensils.

As she began slowly twisting the tongs, the moment was shattered by a muffled vibration coming from Sango's back end. Muttering to herself she threw the tongs into the sink and turned on the hot water as she took her cell phone out of her back pocket.

"Moshi mosh—"

"**Hello—"**

"SANGO-CHAN!! DOKO…KAGOME-CHAN WA DOOOOKO?!"

"**SANGO!! WHERE… WHERE IS MY KAGOME?!"**

--

Jakken closed the door and sat for a moment in the darkness. This was not going to be easy. Oh, sure, finding the Master's half-brother would be a breeze. It was what happened between finding Inu Yasha and returning the sword to Lord Sesshoumaru that was unclear to the toad. Inu Yasha was nearly as unscrupulous as his brother in many ways—what made Inu Yasha dangerous was his connections. He knew how to work the less glamorous side of the ah, "business" world.

He looked again to his watch. 11:59pm. He was going to have to call in a professional. Short notice meant more money, though. Five million may sound like a lot to the average schmuck, but Jakken had worked for Lord Sesshoumaru long enough to understand that the demon lord lived in an entirely different world than everyone else. Jakken would be lucky to find a decent demon to track down the sword for less than 10 million, much less five!

Midnight. Only 120 hours left.

A/N: Tee hee! And the count-down begins! Hopefully this will force me to wrap up this freaking thing before 20 chapters... --;;

Let me know what you think!


	11. The Scene of the Crime

A/N: Hullo again. Sorry for the wait, but I predict you will be pleased! We've got a lot of plot and character development in store, so get to it!

* * *

"Okay, so let me see if I've got this straight

"Okay, so let me see if I've got this straight. No one's seen or heard from Kagome since she left for work yesterday—after borrowing Sango's car, right?" Miroku slowly tried to sum up what his girlfriend had been saying during her frantic discussion with Kagome's mother.

She nodded. "AND we can't forget that this guy, Hojo, was supposed to be picked up by Kagome yesterday. Add to that the letter for Kagome-chan and, well… I just don't know what's going on anymore." Sango was lying back on her couch with her eyes closed and her head flung back.

Kagome's mother had been hysterical, of course, so the phone call did not go smoothly. Koga was beginning to wear a path in the floor from his incessant pacing and Miroku was a mix of conflicting emotions. On the one hand, he was still upset that Sango had allowed a drunken MALE demon spend the night; but he couldn't stand seeing his beloved so distraught over the mystery disappearance of her best friend and her car. He was concerned for Kagome as well, but not convinced that it was time to panic as of yet.

"My darling, would it not be prudent to start the search where she was seen last?"

Sango opened her eyes and blinked a few times as she let his suggestion sink in. Slowly she raised her head in amazement. He seemed ready for this reaction and modestly raised one hand to stop her from speaking. "No, my love. Sarcasm is not necessary. For the sake of Kagome-san, why don't we skip the traditionally poke at myself and get down to business, mm?"

She considered this for a moment and smiled in response. Grabbing a light jacket and her purse, she stopped momentarily at the door. She spun around and ran back to where Miroku was collecting himself and pounced on him, throwing her arms around his neck as she plastered him with a long, deep kiss. As they parted they each seemed flushed, surprised and rather pleased. With an uncomfortable cough from Koga, the couple broke eye contact and Sango led the troops to the scene of the crime.

--

Kagome stretched and sighed as the last tendrils of sleep began to peel themselves away. She hated sleeping in strange places but absolutely adored being bundled up in cold weather. That was why, after a lengthy and violent pillow fight, the room's thermostat had been set to 60 degrees F. This was also why Kagome appeared to have been swallowed by her fluffy comforter. Only a tuft of unruly black hair had managed to escape the snuggly prison she had fashioned during the night. It was quite amusing to see the tuft occasionally sprout a few wiggling fingers which acted as little temperature probes, testing to see if it was still too cold to emerge from her floral-patterned cocoon.

Inu Yasha, being made to take the role of a gentleman, had been forced to relinquish ownership of his bed's thin blankets to Kagome's growing den of linens and had subsequently spent a long night wrapped in his sheets, all his clothes—including his jacket, and most of their supply of towels.

When Kagome finally woke up, it took a moment for her to remember where she was. She was in a hotel room alone with Inu Yasha, the handsome and annoying hanyou, on the run from thugs and on route to Las Vegas.

She looked over to Inu Yasha's sleeping form. Even in his sleep he was wearing a scowl—he had **not** been pleased with the sleeping arrangements or at having lost not only in a tournament of jan-ken-pou (rock-paper-scissors), but three straight games of tic-tac-toe and a pillow fight.

The sight of him so pathetic and shivering with a hand towel covering the top of his ears and head lead Kagome to a stroke of inspiration. Moving as though she was in a bowl of molasses she slowly unwrapped herself from her blanket fortress and made her way to her purse. She was biting her lip to stifle the laughter and breathing as slowly as possible so as to not wake her prey. Thanking the gods that she'd left her purse unzipped, she easily was able to grab Inu Yasha's camera. (He'd lost custody of it after taking a very unflattering picture of Kagome asleep and drooling on herself.)

As she crept closer to move in for the kill, she smiled and thought to herself as the flash went off,_ oh yes, pay back is a bitch!_

--

When they arrived at the DMV, Miroku, Koga and Sango took a moment to let the scene settle in.

The entire area was roped off in yellow police tape. There were fire engines, cops and reporters everywhere. The two shriveled old ladies seemed perfectly at home amongst the chaos and chatted happily to a police officer of high rank. Miroku, sensing that this would not go over well with his already anxious girlfriend put an arm tentatively around her shoulders. When Sango's brain had finally processed the images around her, she put one hand to her pale lips and fainted into Miroku's arms.

When she finally came to again, it was to find too many faces all hovering with mixed levels of concern, amusement and interest. Miroku and Koga showing the concern along with what must be some paramedics, amusement from the two Marys and interest from the reporters along the fringe of faces standing over her.

As Miroku and Koga helped her gently to stand she forced out the words, "Where is she?" The Marys exchanged looks of forced gaiety. The red-head spoke first. "Oh, don'cha werry nun aboot yer lass! She's oof wit' da' 'andsum woon, Aye'd reckon."

Sango's head was still swimming while she processed what the tiny Irish woman had said.

"Y-YOU MEAN SHE'S WITH INU YASHA?! IN _MY_ CAR?!"

The darker Mary stepped up to confirm her partner's theory. "Si, meja. I tink da's wha' che said."

For the second time, Sango fainted.

--

It had been quite for almost a quarter of an hour, now. After the incident with the towel picture, Kagome was still too pleased with herself to let Inu Yasha's pouting aura affect her. She was also trying to not think about where he had gotten the funds to afford such a decent hotel room. Living in New York City, you see some really, _really_, disgusting rooms. There wasn't even a single bloodstain in their room!

They had grabbed some complimentary breakfast and jumped in the car without much further ado and had been riding in relative peace for a while. It made Kagome a little nervous, actually. Their squabble-pout-ignore routine was getting to be a little too comfortable, too. She was almost looking forward to picking fights with him: it seemed to be what they were best at.

She was still a little freaked out from the man in the window last night, though. It seemed as though people's glances lingered a little too long or that there was something suspicious in every twitch or sudden movement she caught out the corner of her eye.

_Maybe I'm not quite cut out for this adventurous lifestyle._

"We're making good time."

The words were so sudden that Kagome forgot she wasn't alone with her thoughts. Shaking off her feelings of anxiety, she focused on the half-demon next to her. "Hmm?"

"Sheesh. Pay attention when a man speaks to you!"

She felt herself bristle at the sexist comment. "Why do you think we spend so much time training men and dogs? We'll tell you when it's your turn to talk. But go ahead, you've got my attention." She finished sweetly.

He was speechless for a moment, obviously not expecting her remark to be quite so brutal. Kagome, however, seized his moment of weakness and pressed her advantage.

"Well? I'm sorry that I don't have any treats on me, but go ahead: speak, boy!"

"OI! I happen to find that extremely offensive, wen—ah—ugh—Kagome!" His ears were flattened back and there was no sign of his usual humor behind his words. Kagome watched him to see if her words had really made such an impact or if it was a bluff. When she saw Inu Yasha chance a glance at her, she knew she'd hit where it hurt. Feeling slightly ashamed of herself she spoke.

"Yeah, it really hurts when people assume they're better than you are because of something stupid like your blood or your gender, huh?"

She watched as he mulled over her words. After a few minutes of stony silence, though, she gave up hope that he'd gotten her point.

Kagome was watching the lush landscape pass by and let her thoughts begin to wander again. It was obvious they had hurt each other's feelings and they both knew how easy it would be to fix everything but neither seemed capable of backing down first.

When the car started to slow down, Kagome was brought out of her brooding. Inu Yasha had pulled over to the shoulder of the road and stopped the car. He was still staring into the space in front of the steering wheel, but Kagome doubted he was seeing anything at all.

"Look. You should know that I don't like that you're here."

"Wow. What a crappy apology." At her bitter words Inu Yasha turned to her with a look of frustration.

"Don't interrupt! And who said it was supposed to be an apology?" Kagome glowered at him but remained silent. Inu Yasha turned back away from her and continued what seemed to be a rehearsed script.

"ANY-way… Like I was saying, you should know that I don't want you here. This has nothing to do with you. I don't know you and I sure as hell don't I want you to know me. You've got people who are worried about you and will probably try to come after you. I've got killers and demons and mobsters after me. I don't like having people around me, okay? Because as soon as I start to like them being around, they have a funny habit of leaving or dying or betraying me. Starting to make sense, Princess? I can't deal with you. This isn't a picnic or a cozy road trip. I am running away because I am not strong enough. Happy to hear that? I hope you are because it is hard as hell for me to say."

Kagome was frozen. It was like something inside of him had snapped. He seemed so… vulnerable. Kagome tried to imagine how it must feel to be him. To live for so long. To be a part of two worlds and not belong to either. To be hated and feared and hunted. And alone. What would she do if Sango had betrayed her trust and thrown her out on the streets? Or what if she had to live long enough to see all her human friends and family pass on without her. How could anyone bear all that?

"We're about ten miles outside of town. I am going to drop you off at the police station and you are going to tell them… I don't know; tell them whatever the hell you want. Just go home to your family and friends and get the hell out of my life!"

She felt the tears welling in her eyes but couldn't bring herself to show him weakness now. Not with what this was costing him already. She swallowed hard and blinked away the tears. She needed to be strong right now. With a deep breath to steady her, she turned to face him.

He had started to bend the steering wheel; he was gripping it so tightly. She saw the unshed tears being blinked away and the bitter resolve behind them.

"I will not leave you."

She could barely find the strength to say it. But she saw what it had cost him to say these things to her. It was only fair to show him the same respect. That didn't mean that she had to say, look him in the eye. She swallowed again and went on.

"I won't go. You can threaten me all you like but you cannot make me leave." The tears were starting to choke out the other words she wanted to say. Just as words tumbled out of Inu Yasha before, now tears spilled from Kagome's eyes.

She heard his terse words, "You can't come. I… I can't…"

"Can't? No, you 'won't'. I'm sorry that you've been hurt. I'm sorry that I am weak and a burden and that I always say the wrong things but I am not sorry that I am here." She turned to him again. "…and I am not sorry that I met you." She took a deep breath to steady herself as a wave of sobs broke. "I will **not** leave you, Inu Yasha!"

He turned on her, his face flushed with frustration. "WHY? Why not? It's easy, Kagome! Just open the door and don't look back! Forget about me—it's easy, dammit!"

Kagome sobbed harder than ever and screamed back, "how can I forget someone I'm in love with?!"

The sudden silence that struck the Volvo laid heavily on them both. Inu Yasha looked like he'd been shot and Kagome looked like she wished someone would shoot her.

Slowly, he turned back to the steering wheel, started the ignition, and merged back on the highway. Kagome turned her face as far away from him as possible and continued to watch the scenery go by as silent tears fell down her cheeks.

--

"So you're telling me that Inu Yasha's car was set on fire so Kagome took him in…" It seemed painful for Sango to say it, "…in _my car_… and that's the last anyone has seen or heard from them?"

"Si."

Miroku held out his arms behind Sango, ready to catch her should she faint for the third time that day. As she was too irritated to faint at the moment, she waived him off and pointedly ignored him when he started pouting.

Koga took up from where Sango's interrogation left off. "So you two left for the night, as usual, and when you came in to work this morning…" He turned and looked to the charred remnants of the DMV. "…it was like this?"

"Aye, me boy-o."

Miroku, trying a new tack to garner his beloved's attention, asked if it was safe to look around inside. Apparently neither of the Marys had felt it necessary to find out as they recommended asking the fire fighters if the structure was sound.

After getting the okay to snoop around inside from the fire fighters, however, they had to next get past the police.

"The police! Of course!" Sango was furious at herself and the two males with her for not thinking of going to the cops sooner. "We can tell the cops to keep a lookout for my car! Maybe they can find them!"

When Koga scoffed this, Sango turned and scowled. "Well, do you have a better idea Mr. 'Where's-my-woman'?"

"Of course. _I'll_ go after them. I can track her down if I can catch her scent. Screw the cops. I'm a full-blooded youkai. Nothing can stop me from getting my woman back." He smirked and looked down his nose at the human men around him.

Sango looked disgusted and flicked Koga's ear. "Dumbass. Do you not remember running all over New York City last night trying to catch her scent?"

He looked crestfallen for but a moment. "But if the police can spot your car and we go to where they were, I can follow them from there!"

He looked excitedly from Sango to Miroku, seeking praise for his idea. The couple shared a silent moment of communication before Sango nodded. "Alright," she said, "we could do that. So I assume this means you have plenty of money to spend on gas and food and lodgings?"

"Oh yeah! I was planning on taking a long road trip after getting my license. Guess this'll have to do."

There was an awkward pause before Miroku stepped up. "Ah, so do you have your license yet?"

"Nope."

"So that means Sango and I will have to do all the driving?"

"Of course! I'll be trying to follow their scent! I can't drive at the same time! I'd totally loose concentration!"

"Ah. Fair enough." Miroku conceited.

Koga was grinning enthusiastically. "So, when do we leave?"

--

After a seeming eternity, Kagome's full bladder and empty stomach won over her overwhelming embarrassment of that morning's conversation.

"Okay, I'm dying. Must pee. Must eat. Now."

"In that order?" Inu Yasha smirked. Kagome was a bit surprised that he was talking to her like nothing had happened.

"Not necessarily. Just make it happen! And no psychotic attendants if we go to a gas station, this time!"

"Picky, picky, picky."

"_HAIYAKU!"_

"**HURRY!"**

"_Hai, hai, hai. Urasai, ne?"_

"**Yeah, yeah, yeah. Shut it , will ya?"**

--

Casually, Inu Yasha glanced at Kagome as she got out of her side of the car. He noticed her smiling softly for what seemed like the first time in forever as they locked up the Volvo outside of a seemingly deserted generic burger joint.

"Listen, I want to check on the tires, the car is starting to pull a little. You go ahead. I'll be in behind you soon." He said most of it over his shoulder so as to avoid looking her in the eyes.

She seemed to notice this, but thankfully didn't press the matter. She sounded nonchalant as she turned and said over her shoulder that she was gonna order something to eat, too. Looking at the tires was mostly just an excuse to spend some time away from her and think for a second.

He did it. He told her all the quiet things he'd been thinking. He said he didn't want her there. He told her to go to the cops; to leave. Of course even he knew that wouldn't save her completely. Half the cops in the country belonged to Fluffy and his cronies. She wouldn't be safe even if she went away.

He bent down to look at the tires. The front right did seem a little low… He put a clawed hand to the crusted rim of the tire to feel for any leaks. As he felt around his mind wandered again to what happened earlier.

And then… what she said… _I will not leave you!_

EEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRHHHHH

The sound broke his concentration and he looked to see the rim still in his clutch, but now bent nearly in half. _Oops._

* * *

A/N: Well? Let me know what you think. It's always scary getting to Inu Yasha's emotions and really hard to keep him in character... Let me know if it worked! I've got some time off from work, so hopefully I can knock out another chapter or two this week... Cross your fingers for me!


	12. Cell Phones, Lightbulbs and Tires, oh my

A/N: Yello! Back again! It's amazing what a difference having a few reviews can do to a gal's creativity. Thank you all so much for reviewing. It means so much to know that people enjoy this story as much as I love writing it!

A warning: parts of this chapter are a little more adult. Nothing too specific or blatant but I wanted to warn any young'uns out there.

Also, this chapter focuses almost entirely on Inu Yasha and Kagome. Sorry, but none of the crew back in NYC this chapter; it just didn't feel right yet. I feel kind of guilty, but I liked writing this chapter because I _could_ focus on the two main characters so much.

Enough of that. On with da story!

* * *

Back safely in the car, Kagome thought that perhaps she should have stuck with gas stations.

**TEN MINUTES EARLIER**

As Kagome entered the restaurant, a feeling of confusion washed over her: It was empty. The entire restaurant was empty! As she approached the un-manned counter, she peered into the empty kitchen beyond and felt a twinge of annoyance.

_Alrighty. I'll pee and we'll get out of here, I guess. You'd think they'd lock the doors or turn off the lights if they're not open… right?_

Kagome shrugged and looked around for the women's room. She finally found it across from the kitchen entrance and couldn't resist peeking her head into kitchen. _Where _is _everyone?! I'm hungry, dammit! Inu Yasha won't stop again until we're in friggin' Arkansas! …if that's even on the way…_

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a dull and heavy object making contact with her hindquarters.

"_KKYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"_

Kagome had fallen onto the floor of the kitchen, leaving the door propped open accidentally by her foot.

"Goodness!" A sweet southern accent drawled into Kagome's conscious. She looked up and saw the bathroom door being held open by a matronly woman with a cashier's uniform, a name tag proudly introducing "CLARA" and an indecipherable expression on her face. Seeing what must be a customer sprawled on the floor, the woman's hand flew to cover her mouth. "I'm so sorry! Are you alright?" the woman said. Kagome smiled weakly and expected CLARA to then either help her to stand or take some recompense to make up for scaring the snot out of a customer.

Much to her chagrin, CLARA took no such action, but instead looked relieved that the customer wasn't mad. Then, as if remembering her training, she pasted on a vapid smile and went into her rehearsed line, "Can I help yew?"

Again, shock impeded Kagome from doing more than mutely shaking her head. Seemingly satisfied by this answer, CLARA creased her ample cheeks into the resemblance of a smile once more and turned to re-enter the women's room, closing the door behind her.

_Wha… what just happened here?_

Driven by curiosity and a "Danger-Implosion-Imminent" bladder, Kagome pulled herself up and entered the women's room.

It was a single, large room with a solitary and rather dingy-looking stall on one side and a sink with a rusty-framed mirror on the other. It was next to the mirror and sink that she found CLARA with what must have been the only other employee of this fine establishment. Her initial irritation at finding ALL the staff in the bathroom AT THE SAME TIME quickly dissipated when she noticed the other woman was a girl not much older than Kagome, with a bad dye job and heavily-painted eyes puffy and red from crying. She sniffed pathetically and chewed on a fingernail after handing an obnoxiously pink cell phone to CLARA.

CLARA smiled encouragingly at the other girl and seemed to either not notice or not care that Kagome had followed her into the restroom. As she lifted the phone to her ear, CLARA delicately removed and held her chewing gum between her forefinger and thumb. With a hand on her hip and a small shift of weight, the metamorphosis was complete. Right before Kagome's eyes she watched the woman morph from a faded southern belle to Jerry Springer trailer-trash. With a sudden and violent wrench, CLARA cracked her neck and squared her shoulders.

"Now, yew lissen here, hon."

It was obvious to Kagome that this was not going to be pretty. Nor was it going to be private. Feeling herself flush from embarrassment, she shielded her eyes from the increasingly louder scene and sought sanctuary in the one bathroom stall.

Unfortunately for her, the acoustics were such that were CLARA whispering, Kagome would have heard every syllable.

"…I know thangs have bin hard.I _know_ how hard thangs are for yew. But yew jes lissen ta me. I've got her wit' me right now and let me tell yew, she is ga-reeving. Mm-hmm. She cain't stop cryin, Jimmy! … I know, I know…"

Kagome was sitting there, trying desperately to do her business as quickly as possible and get out of this horrible place. In Japan it is extremely rude to conduct such personal and emotional business in a public place. As if that weren't enough to make her uncomfortable, these women knew perfectly well that there was a complete stranger in the very same room at that moment but really didn't seem to care! And to top it all off, Kagome had this… thing… about going potty around other people.

_ARGH! So… awkward… I can't pee with all this noise going on… but if I do pee, those people will hear it even over their stupid phone call!_

CLARA was reaching new levels of pissy with 'Jimmy' and the girl in the corner seemed to be crying loudly again.

"I KNOW, JIMMEH. But yew lissen 'a me. Yew don' jes walk out like that. It's wrong! To walk out on 'er… _AT A FUNERAL?!_"

Kagome couldn't stand it anymore. _A FUNERAL? What is __wrong__ with these people?!_ With this outrageous development, Kagome let out a snort of laughter before she could catch herself. Snapping her hands over her mouth to stifle the fit of giggles threatening to over-take her, the pressure finally won over her embarrassment. She felt the laughter melt away as she was finally able to relieve herself. After cleaning herself up and delaying as long as possible, Kagome finally bit the bullet and left the safety of the bathroom stall.

Prepared for stony silence and piercing gazes for intruding on such an important situation, Kagome was instead completely ignored again. Telling herself that she might as well finish her business here, she boldly walked past CLARA to the sink and began washing her hands, all the while praying no one would say anything to her. When she went to grab for a paper towel, though, Kagome's heart nearly stopped when she felt a small tug on the hem of her shirt.

She looked down and saw the crying girl clinging to her shirt, looking beyond pitiful. Kagome felt a wave of compassion, thinking that this poor girl must be horrified that a complete stranger overheard the pathetic details of her love-life. Instead the girl pointed over Kagome's shoulder.

"Could yew hand-me one? (sniffle)"

It took her a moment to realize that this woman just wanted a paper towel, presumably with which to blow her now dripping nose. Kagome forced herself to smile as she handed a paper towel to the woman on the floor.

"(sniffle) Thanks." The woman smiled and inhaled deeply before blowing her nose loudly into the towel. The blow lasted for at least ten seconds, it had to have, Kagome thought in horrified amazement. After a few auxiliary attempts, she wrenched her face into a look of extreme concentration and hawked an enormous loogie into the remnants of the paper towel. With a last pitiful sniffle she handed the towel back to a shocked Kagome who's hand was still numbly extended.

"I'd appreciate it if yew'd throw tha' away fer me, too. (sniff)"

Kagome let the paper fall from her hand into the waste bin on the other side of the sink. Once more she scrubbed her hands with scalding water and soap, never letting the plastic smile leave her face. She turned the water off, shook out her hands and reached to get a towel and get out of this nightmare. She stopped short once more, however, when she saw that there _were_ _no more_ towels left.

Wiping her hands on her shirt, Kagome turned to flee from the room before her good Japanese upbringing failed her and she opened a can of 'crazy-bitch' on these two psychopaths. As she jerked the door open she heard CLARA break-off in mid-rant to call after Kagome, "Oh, y'all come on back an' see us again!"

Not trusting herself to answer Kagome made a break for it and ran all the way back to the car, past a confused and flustered Inu Yasha and didn't stop until she was buckled into her seat and gripping the dash board. She briefly noted in passing that he seemed to be hiding something behind his back but didn't care. Kagome wanted some serious distance between herself and that bathroom.

When it became obvious that Inu Yasha didn't know how to react, she rolled down the window and thumped the side of the Volvo with her palm while yelling, "YO! LET'S MOVE-IT DOG BOY!"

--

After a few miles down the road, Kagome felt a little more relaxed about everything. Inu Yasha had thought it hilarious. He still couldn't look at her without having to stifle a laugh. This enabled Kagome's mind to wander once more until her stomach pointedly reminded her that she had only emptied one tank without filling the other.

"Inu Yaaaashhhaaaa…" Kagome whined.

His ears flattened slightly. "I _hate_ it when you do that."

Taking a deep breath Kagome upped the ante by driving her pitch even higher, "Innuu Yaaaaaaaasssshhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…" She punctured the performance by adding a pouty lower lip and what she hoped looked like sad puppy-dog eyes.

She tried not to let him see her smile when his ears folded even further back.

"_Nani?"_

"**What is it?**

"_Watashi no hara…"_

"**My stomach…"**

"_Eh? Hara-kiri ka? Ra-ki no hi, ne?"_

"**Eh? Hara-kiri? It's my lucky day, huh?"**

"_Urasai, inu- baka!"_

"**Quiet, stupid-dog!"**

"Seriously, though, Inu Yasha, I'm starving! Can't we stop at a truck stop or something? Please?" She put her hands together over her head, as though offering a prayer at the temple of irritable-hanyou.

"Feh. Not until we're out of Iowa."

At that moment, Kagome thought that if there were any justice in the world, she would be able to flatten her own ears to show her displeasure. Scowling apparently was not sufficient to affect Inu Yasha.

Through gritted teeth she said in a low growl, "We just _got_ to Iowa."

He seemed positively cheerful by the prospect and smiled broadly. "Yep. Don't worry, though. We're about half-way there."

Kagome perked. "Really?! I thought Iowa was bigger than—"

Inu Yasha interrupted her. "That's _not_ what I meant. I _mean_ that we're about half-way to Vegas."

"Oh." Kagome grew quiet. For some reason this was unsettling. She hadn't really thought about what would happen when they got to Las Vegas. Her stomach complained again as though agreeing that this was not a good time to start thinking about the end of their trip.

It was late afternoon and the air had turned into a steam that seemed to suck the air out of Kagome's lungs. She'd never actually been outside of New York before. So far some parts of America had been absolutely breath-taking. Rural Pennsylvania especially caught her fancy. That was her favorite part about visiting the country-side in Japan: the trees.

The middle of the country was far-less pleasing it seemed. Somewhere she'd hear about the different "belts" in America. The Bible Belt in the South, the Rust Belt in the Northeast. Now she knew why they called it the Rust Belt. The big cities weren't that bad but the small towns seemed to be like pockets where they'd traveled backwards through time.

"So I guess it's your lucky day."

Kagome snapped back to reality at Inu Yasha's words. "Oh? And why is that?"

Instead of an answer, he just pointed a claw at the fuel gauge which was pointing at "E".

Kagome clapped her hands together excitedly while bouncing in her seat and saying, "YAY!" repeatedly. Inu Yasha just smirked in reply.

They took the next exit and turned into the first gas station they could find. As they were getting out of the car Kagome remembered something.

"Inu Yasha?"

He was standing inside the opened car door, surveying the area. She thought he might not have heard until, without looking at her, he muttered, "What?"

"Oh. Remember when we stopped earlier? How did the tires look?"

At this, the hanyou spun around to look at her suspiciously. "Why do you ask?" he asked a little too quickly.

"Uh, maybe because I'm curious? This isn't my car, remember? Sango-chan loves this car more than her life—or mine! I don't want anything to happen to it… Besides, I think my side does look a little low."

"Keh. What do you know? I looked at t before and it was just fine."

Kagome had closed her door and was now peering down at the tire intently. She stood up again with a frown. "It looks like someone hit a curb or something…"

Inu Yasha turned to avoid eye-contact. Rubbing a finger under his nose, he sniffed and replied, "Well, gee. I guess it's _impossible_ that your precious _Sango-chan_ could have possibly hit a curb! It _had_ to have been me!"

"…I never said it was you. It couldn't have been—I've been in the car with you, remember?"

Inu Yasha coughed guiltily. "Oh, uh, right. No possible way."

Kagome tucked her arms thoughtfully around her waist as she surveyed the damaged wheel further. "You know… hmm… its funny, but this almost looks like someone… bent the hubcap or something. But what kind of idiot would do that? You don't think someone was trying to steal our caps, do you?" She said with sudden anxiety.

Inu Yasha snorted. "Off _this_ car? You can't be serious." He looked around uncomfortably. "Look, I thought you were dying of starvation? They've got a sign up that says they have a buffet inside." Inu Yasha pointed behind Kagome to divert her attention away from the rim he'd bent earlier that morning.

Thankfully for him, she took the bait and hopped off happily towards the promise of large quantities of greasy foods.

--

Jakken checked the time again. It had already been 36 hours since Lord Sesshoumaru's mission began and he was no closer to getting the sword from the half-breed Inu Yasha. His first step had been to go to Las Vegas. Jakken may not have been a smart demon but he knew that he personally would have no chance of taking the sword himself by force. He _did_ know, however, that Inu Yasha was headed for Las Vegas. Why bother racing when he could wait at the finish line? He'd sent out messages to some of the high-profile demons for hire to try and finish the job while the sword was in transit, if possible.

A cold breeze blew through the room and Jakken shivered in disgust. He knew the wind quite well, as it belonged to a demon who was infatuated with Lord Sesshoumaru. The air was filled with the scent of exotic flowers as the wind began to turn faster and faster upon itself, first forming a funnel, then slimming and shaping into an hour-glass and finally exploding once again, sending objects and toad demons alike flying. In the midst of the maelstroms' wake now stood a strikingly beautiful woman with cream-colored skin and hair so dark that all light seemed to have disappeared from it. Her icy blue-green eyes had a haughty defiance to them. They sent an unmistakable challenge to anyone who looked into them. Aside from her ears delicately ending in a point and the whole being-one-with-the-wind-thing, one would never suspect she was actually a 400 year-old demon.

She wore a traditional kimono of particularly fine make. Its varying shades of light and darker pinks accentuated her eyes and the swirls of colors mimicked the wind on which she rode. When she spoke it was in sharp words and quick to the point. "What do _you_ want with me, wretched creature?"

Jakken had fallen from his chair during her entrance and was currently disentangling himself from the curtains when she spoke. Trying desperately to preserve the little dignity he had left, he bowed deeply to the woman before responding.

"My lady. My master, the extraordinary Lord Sesshoumaru wishes to engage your invaluable services for a mission of the utmost import on his behalf."

She eyed him warily. "Well said, toad. And what would your master have of Kagura?"

"My Lady Kagura," Jakken bowed and began again. "There is something of my master's which has been… misplaced," he finished delicately.

Kagura laughed heartily, betraying the elegance she eminated. "Don't be coy with me. Lord Sesshoumaru would have your oily tongue if he heard you say that. 'Misplaced'? HA. You mean 'stolen'." She grinned viciously at him. He gulped and nodded quietly, unwilling it seemed to offer more information as of yet. Kagura paced and fiddled absently with her earrings. They each consisted of three pearls, each slightly smaller and all the exact shade of her exquisite eyes. After a moment she rounded on Jakken and spoke again.

"Any fool who dares to steal from Lord Sesshoumaru cannot possibly know what they're dealing with. It would be suicidal to cross the great inu youkai. And yet… Something tells me…" her voice faded as she stared down Jakken. "…something tells me that there is such a fool. A fool who unfortunately shares the blood of our illustrious lord but none of his refinement." She bore down on Jakken until she was towering over him, looking imperiously down upon him with her frozen eyes and a wicked smile.

"Tell me, my slimey toad. What has the half-breed stolen from its rightful owner?"

--

Kagome's hopes of a food smorgasbord dissipated the moment she walked through the doors. She was so hungry she was willing to eat at a truck stop in the middle of po-dunk Iowa but she wasn't _this _hungry.

The station was poorly lit, even for midday. The windows were so caked with dust and lord only knows what else that no light could make it through. The people inside the rest stop seemed about as clean as the windows and she didn't even want to think about what was making that god-awful smell.

None-the-less, Kagome was desperate. She started breathing through her mouth and began her march towards the grease-smeared glass display case containing the alleged "buffet".

The man standing behind the counter looked like he weighed about as much as Kagome but stood probably over six feet tall. It was hard to tell exactly how tall the man was as his slouching took at least three to four inches off his height. His hair was probably blonde under the layers of grease. Kagome was struck with the terrible image of the man scraping grease off the window of the buffet and slicking his hair back with it and covering all but his long rat-tail with a black mesh hair-net big enough for a mouse to crawl through.

As she got close enough to see inside the glass, however, the man bent down under what must have been a counter and returned with a sign reading "BACK IN MINUTES".

Sighing, Kagome decided to try her luck with the bathrooms here, lest she make them stop again later. She spotted the obligatory sign indicating the restrooms to be down a dark hallway leading past the buffet. Kagome braced herself and began to walk resolutely into the hallway, determined not to let the truckers notice her hesitation to go into the dimly lit corridor alone.

After a few steps, however, Kagome was no longer alone. A door had suddenly opened to reveal the man from behind the buffet counter, looking over his shoulder but apparently not even noticing Kagome. She waited for him to turn and go back towards the front area from which she came but to her vexation, he instead headed straight towards the restroom.

_Knowing my luck it's a unisex, single toilet bathroom and I'll have to wait ten minutes for him to leave. And mm-mmm, I bet that'll smell good._

She shuddered at the thought and felt a moment of relief when the man walked right past the restroom to another door that was made of heavy metal. He reached up with a fist and pounded viciously on the door a few times, stopping Kagome in her tracks. She was completely in the darkness in this particular spot and felt her heart racing. _This is like something from a horror-movie! They probably keep bodies of random travelers in there and he's letting them know that there's fresh meat here!_

Again the man pounded on the door but this time, before he could finish, a flap in the door opened—it reminded Kagome of a porthole. She couldn't see a face but heard quite clearly a woman's thick country accent angrily declare, "Look, I _told_ you I won't buy any!"

Kagome's heart stopped in her chest. What was going on here, some illicit drug ring? The woman obviously knew the man but refused to open the door for him. Heck, she was downright hostile towards him! Before she could finish concocting her conspiracy, however, the man yelled his immediate response, "Dammit, I jes wan' a light bulb!"

After a moment of silence, the door opened grudgingly and the man disappeared again. Kagome felt her face fall into an expression of exasperation. She couldn't tell if that was some bizarre code or if that man really just wanted a light bulb. She ducked into the bathroom and stood with her back to the door, telling herself that she was being ridiculous and paranoid.

_That was something else, though…_

The bathroom had several stalls, as it turned out; one of which was currently occupied. She quietly stepped into the other stall as the occupant next to her flushed and exited the stall. As she heard the water running, she looked at the door of her stall and froze.

It had been a simple door; just unvarnished wood, she guessed. It was impossible to tell now, though, as it was literally _covered_ in writing. Not your typical graffiti of "I love so and so" or "Call so and so for a good time", etc. No, this was like a log… Anyone sitting in this stall would know exactly who had had **ahem** …_adult_ relations… right where Kagome was sitting. Most signatures were dated and some even had the time listed. And the entire stall was covered with entries.

Horrified Kagome finished her business and ran back to the safety of the outside world. Inu Yasha was looking at the front right tire and swearing softly to himself until he saw Kagome's expression and stopped in mid-curse.

"What happened now? Where's the food? All you bitc—uh—whining made me hungry too."

Kagome didn't break stride as she blew past him. "Nope. Not here. We need to leave here." She closed the door and strapped herself in to make her point perfectly clear.

"Oi. Maybe you didn't hear me…"

"In! Now!" Kagome barked at him. With his ears folded back and a scowl on his face he got back into the car.

"So what, you think we've got all the time in the world?!" Inu Yasha complained as they got back on the highway. Raising his voice he mocked Kagome's unspoken words. "Oh, let's stop and have a picnic! Oh, but not here! It's not good enough for me—try again, Inu Yasha!"

"That's not fair! YOU wouldn't want to eat there, either—trust me, buddy." Kagome told him about the grease and the smell and the lightbulb and the bathroom. To her immense satisfaction Inu Yasha stopped making fun of her about not eating there. Even though he didn't come straight out and say she was right, Kagome knew the victory was hers.

They rode for a few more miles, looking hopefully at each new sign for the telltale "FOOD" signs. As the sun began to set they finally found a decent motel with a 24 hour diner attached. Kagome waited for a table while Inu Yasha checked them in. If he was ever away from the car, now, he had the long leather case over his shoulder. Kagome was wondering how long they would get away with carrying it in public when the hanyou plopped down across from her in the booth.

They grabbed the menus and began searching in mutual silence. Food was priority at the moment. When their pleasantly plump waitress brought breadstick and took their orders Inu Yasha ordered the top cut steak, rare. Kagome ordered the chicken-fried steak and egg breakfast. After the waitress left Inu Yasha lifted an eyebrow in what was either respect or disbelief.

Kagome caught his look and sputtered, "What?! I don't really know when I'm gonna eat again, okay? I need the calories!" Her cheeks were stained a rose color as she jutted her chin defiantly at him as she tore off a bite of breadstick.

Inu Yasha just laughed. "Yeah, you could! That highway has more curves than you do. Ha!"

"Excuse me! In case you haven't noticed, Asian women aren't built to be curvy!" She retorted hotly.

"True, true. But you're too small. What I like is a woman who can fill her kimono."

"Pig." Kagome stuck her tongue out and crossed her arms in a pout. The only thing that ruined the effect was her poorly-suppressed smile.

He laughed and shook a finger at her. "Dog, honey. I'm half dog."

"And all pig, I say!" Kagome laughed and lobbed a chunk of breadstick at him.

Inu Yasha held his hands up to defend the yeasty attack. Laughing, too he said, "Yeah, a pig you're in love with!"

"…………" Kagome stopped laughing. The rose and all color had drained from her face. Inu Yasha saw the tears beginning to form and cloud her dark eyes before she slid out from the booth and left for the restroom.

Reaching vainly after her he watched her disappear into no-man's-land. Taking the last breadstick he stuffed it all into his cheeks and muttered softly to himself, "… crap…"

* * *

A/N: A nice long chappie. Hope you like...

* * *


	13. Big Blues

A/N: Sorry for the delay! I'm going to be truly busy for the next few months, but I will do my best to get at least another chapter out before the end of August. I couldn't sleep last night, as I was busy thinking about this story again, so never fear--I am doing the best I can to keep working on it and to finish it before the end of the year, if possible. Thank you all for reviewing and for reading!

* * *

_Why? What have I done to offend thee o mighty and really pissy god?_

Kagome had locked herself in the first stall she could find. She felt the warm tears turn cold as they fell down her cheeks but didn't bother to wipe them away. For some reason, she found that if she concentrated hard enough on the cold, wet paths cut by them, it was easier to not think about what had just happened. She'd been _trying_ not to think about this morning… what she'd said to him…

Reasoning that there was no possible way to any more mortified today Kagome decided to give in to her inner five-year-old.

"SSSSSHHHHIIIIIIIIIIITTTT!" Kagome let her lungs empty of air, enjoying being proactive about this situation and not just sitting in silent misery. As she took a calming breath, however, she heard an elderly woman's voice from the next stall call out to her.

"Goodness… what did _you _order?"

Not being able to think of some witty reply, Kagome answered honestly, "Chicken fried steak and egg breakfast… (sniffle)"

There was a moment of silence. Kagome could hear the woman leave her stall and what must have been the clack of her walker making its way to the sink. After washing her hands and drying them, Kagome was beginning to think that perhaps her honesty had saved her from further embarrassment.

Then the woman spoke again. "Thanks. I've had some nasty bouts with the porcelain poltergeist myself, but _never _anything as terrible as what you've just been through, child. Chicken fried steak and eggs, eh? Not here, I won't!" Kagome heard door open and the frenzied clatter of a walker fading away.

_Wow. Just when you think you've heard it all… maybe I just won't go into another bathroom until I am back, safe at my own sweet apartment…_

And as if she wasn't feeling poorly enough, the last thought reminded her once more of her uncomfortable predicament.

She really didn't know why she had said that to Inu Yasha. Yes, she thought about him constantly, but did she really _love_ him? Maybe she just said it in the heat of the moment… How could she be in love? She'd known him for what? Six, seven days? He was rude, mean, and had said straight to her face that he didn't want her around.

But… those things he was saying… she couldn't just sit there and listen to him. She _had_ to say something. Was that why she felt so bad about all this? What if she had only said it without meaning it? Kagome sighed heavily as she forced herself to wade through these uncomfortable thoughts.

What if she really was in love? She'd heard of weirder things: people falling in love with pen pals on death row and marrying a complete stranger—a complete _psychotic and dangerous_ stranger. So why couldn't she fall in love with a dangerous, incredibly handsome, half-human-half-demon, quasi-stranger?

Suddenly clips began to flash through Kagome's sub-consciousness: Inu Yasha taking a picture of her crying… holding her letter from home above her reaching hands while smirking down at her… calling her a 'wench'...

At this, she felt her wavering feelings solidify on the angry end of her emotional spectrum.

He was acting like this huge martyr by trying to carry everything alone. Did he think that Kagome didn't already know that he was a hanyou and a fugitive and a jerk? Well, she _did_ know. She knew all of that! …but she also knew that there was more to him than that.

He tries to act like nothing hurts him and that he doesn't care about anyone but himself. He is so afraid of trusting anyone that he pushes away anyone who even starts to get close to him. He was so… so _selfish_! Kagome been nothing but supportive of him. Not that he'd asked her to tag along... But anyone else would have made a break for it back on Friday afternoon and gone to the police. Didn't that count for something? And as if he had any reason to doubt her, she had said it—straight to his face: _I will not leave you_. Or even worse: _how can I forget someone I'm in love with?!_

Even at the memory of saying it, she felt a renewed wave of embarrassment crash over her. _What a corny thing to say! What, am I the heroine of some cheesy shojo comic? I cannot _believe_ I said that to him… _But even as she tried to justify her feeling of humiliation, a part of her had to admit that she meant every word; even now. Sure, maybe she was rushing things a bit by saying she was in love, but that didn't mean that he meant nothing to her. Even though she was frightened and facing things she was never prepared for, she couldn't imagine walking away from him.

The sentimental/romantic part of her said it _must_ be love. _Hmph. Maybe the Disney brand of love where physical closeness between a male and female guarantees instant chemistry and lasting happiness: **'I know I just met you two days ago, but you are the love of my life! Marry me! (swoon)' **Spare me._ Or, possibly worse, there was the 'love' from romance novels. **_'I know he treats me like dirt, but I _love**_** him!' **Ugh. If that's the kind of 'love' I feel right now then I don't want it. If I am going to be in love, then by god, I am going to do it right and on _my_ terms!_

_I __won't__ read more into his words or actions or lack thereof._

_I __won't__ convince myself that lust is more than just that. A good body doesn't mean a good person and vice versa._

…_but…_

_I __won't__ convince myself that love doesn't exist._

_I __won't__ believe that I am unattractive or undesirable just because _one stinking male_ doesn't fall all over himself every time I walk in the room._

_I _might_ find the love that every chick-flick since the dawn of time has promised me, and I might not. … but by god, I _will_ know the difference._

Kagome wiped the remaining tears from her eyes and face. She felt a new confidence; an unprecedented level of control in her life. And she liked it.

_I don't know if I am in love with him, but I will not be afraid of him… or of myself._

She washed her hands and face at the sink and smiled as she prepared herself to walk back out into the world with her chin held high and her heart braced for whatever the hanyou threw at her next. She threw open the bathroom door and felt her stomach sink to her feet.

He was gone. There was no food, no bill and no Inu Yasha.

As she stood there, mouth agape, she slowly began to notice other customers looking her way and whispering behind hands and menus.

Blinking away new angry tears, Kagome quickly walked out of the diner.

_So much for _that_ idea._

--

He awoke with a start at the sound of a bland voice calling for "_HOE-JOE… WILL HOE-JOE PLEASE REPORT TO SECURITY. YOUR PARTY IS WAITING FOR YOU…_"

Massaging the crick in his neck, Hojo began to slowly gather together his belongings gathered from nearly 48 hours' residency at terminal 22-A. Children had been leaving offerings of vending machine snacks and small toys to amuse the poor young man. After figuring out his predicament Hojo had foraged around and fashioned a sign reading: STRANDED, JAPANESE AND CONFUSED. PLEASE BE KIND.

A few hours ago, he had been paged for a phone call from Mrs. Higurashi, explaining the situation. Apparently, Kagome-san had been kidnapped by a dangerous and unstable hanyou and her friends from here were about to go after them. For whatever reason, though, they were kind enough to agree to come by and pick up Hojo in Boston before setting off on their journey. _What noble and kind friends Kagome-san has! _

The droning voice repeated the call for Hojo to report to the security desk. With all his newfound treasures/offerings packed carefully away and his area nice and tidy, Hojo turned to meet his new friends and embark on a great journey to save his fair Kagome!

--

Koga was picking his teeth with a claw when Sango nudged him in the ribcage. They had been on Hojo's rescue mission together for only a few hours but they were all already feeling a bit… stressed.

There had been a loud and lengthy "discussion" over whether or not they would make the trip to Boston to pick up the mystery-man. Sango said it was none of their business and illogical to drive four hours in what may be the exact _opposite_ direction of where Inu Yasha and Kagome might be. Koga made it perfectly clear that if he met this human who supposedly was trying to claim Kagome for his own, he would disembowel him on sight. Miroku, however, pointed out that while driving to Boston might not be helping them find Kagome, it would give them something to do other than sit at home and twiddle their thumbs.

So as the three of them stood waiting in the atrium of the Boston airport, Miroku did his best to transfer some hostility towards himself, rather than let the innocent Hojo take the brunt of Sango and Koga's frustrations. He was on his seventeenth verse of "It's a Small World, After all" and his girlfriend and the wolf demon were indeed exuding waves of hostility in his direction.

Miroku could feel that his luck was running out and prayed fervently that this Hojo kid would show up already. Suddenly, he was forced to break off verse eighteen to find the source of a loud commotion. Near the sliding glass doors marking the entrance several security guards were trying to rescue a man who looked to be in his early twenties from the clutches of the doors. The man's backpack was so grossly large that it had been caught as the doors were closing. As he was of Asian decent and looking moderately disheveled, Miroku had absolutely no doubt that the infamous Hojo had made his entrance.

Sighing quietly, Miroku prepared himself for what he knew was going to be a very trying ordeal.

--

Kagome skulked out of the restaurant, planning whatever revenge she could against Inu Yasha, until she was literally stopped in her tracks by running into the backside of someone waiting outside the diner.

Mortified once more, Kagome brushed some tears aside and stammered a hasty apology as she tried to walk past the man without making eye contact. The man suddenly reached out and grabbed her by the arm and turned her to face him. In her confusion and fear, Kagome closed her eyes tight, screamed and began to struggle against his steely grip. "Let-me-go!" She accentuated the last word with her strongest kick landing squarely in her captor's crotch.

She only opened her eyes when she heard something crash to the ground as the man yelped in pain. Yelp. As in, the sound a puppy would make. _SHIT._ Kagome opened her eyes finally to see Inu Yasha doubled over on the pavement. Putting things together, Kagome looked next to the crumpled hanyou and confirmed her fears. She heard something falling after racking Inu Yasha; it was their food. He had had the food boxed up and was waiting for her outside. He didn't just leave her. He was trying to be nice and she had attacked him.

Crying for the third or fourth time that night (she'd lost count), Kagome looked down at him, trying to find words… any words to fit this situation. When none came, she sat quietly beside his crumpled and gasping form, to wait for his breath to return. She couldn't help thinking with a small smile, _Well, the _ball's _in his court now…_

--

In the hotel room that night, Kagome pulled the covers tightly against her chin. They hadn't said a word since she'd nearly destroyed the family jewels. Inu Yasha, surprisingly, had not berated her or even tried for guilt/sympathy points. He slowly sat up and composed himself. They'd sat there for a minute or so when he stood up and offered a hand to help Kagome to her feet. After that he hadn't even made eye contact with her.

She was exhausted from the emotional rollercoaster she'd been on today. Every time she would replay the day's events she would only become more confused. It was like picking the petals of a daisy. _I'm falling in love; I hate his guts; I'm falling in love; I hate his guts..._ She'd tossed and turned for hours before sleep mercifully muted her thoughts.

In the morning she wouldn't remember the last thought to go through her mind before falling asleep: _Love or hate, I wouldn't rather be anywhere else but here…_

--

Inu Yasha was having a bit more trouble being honest with himself. The last time he'd gotten this close to being close with anyone was Kikyo. _And what a mistake __**that**__ was!_ He thought bitterly. It briefly crossed his mind that there was a startling resemblance between his ex-lover and this new… person. He didn't know how to think of Kagome. She wasn't really his type, for one thing: being with Kikyo was a first and last mistake, he reminded himself. _Kikyo was pretty hot for a human and she had this dangerous thing about her, but Kagome… she looks like a child version of Kikyo… Innocent. _That_ was Kagome…_

He turned over again under his blanket. These thoughts were too frank, too real, for him to pursue. He heard Kagome turning over, too, muttering gently in her state of semi-sleep. For the millionth time he cursed himself for being too weak to walk away from her. He knew it wouldn't be much longer until they either got to Vegas or were caught. Things were going too smoothly, though, and the only thing that bothered him more than that was the idea of _her_ being caught in the middle of his mess.

Okay, he didn't hate her. He was perfectly willing to admit that. She was a lot of fun to be around—when she wasn't being weird or annoying. Or when she wasn't saying things he couldn't handle.

"_I will not leave you."_

Punching his pillow, he felt himself flushing again at her words. It was times like this that he almost wished he had people to talk to about this sort of crap.

"_**How can I forget someone I'm in love with?!"**_

How could she say that? This was the problem with females: complication. They complicated everything! He was trying to be nice and save her a lot of trouble and possibly pain and what does she do? She says she's in LOVE with him! How selfish is that? He was trying to be nice and what does she do? She makes his problem _her_ problem.

And then, just when things were finally getting comfortable again, what does he do? He screws it up! He wished he could just forget the look on her face when he'd said _"Yeah, a pig you're in love with!"_

He groaned in his mind again at the memory. It was like telling a kid that they'd just had the Easter Bunny for dinner. …But it was her fault, dammit! It was her fault for saying that she was… in love…

He didn't remember the last thought that floated through his mind before sleep claimed him. _The only thing worse than her saying it was… that I was so happy when to hear it. _

--

As conscious thoughts began to surface in Kagome's mind, the first thing to come up was in regards to the day of the week. _Mrph… what day is it… Oh, it's Monday…_ As that thought sunk in, Kagome sat bolt upright in her bed. It was still dark in the room, but she'd always kept a thick blanket over her windows to shut out light and cold, so she had no idea of the time. She turned to look at the clock and froze when she read the time as 10:32 AM.

"CRAP! I missed class!" Kagome screamed and jumped out of bed, frantically untangling herself from her sheets and running straight into solid wall where her closet should have been. The last thing she remembered was falling and hitting her head on something sharp and before the blackness came.

When she woke again, her head felt like it was in a vice. Kagome tried to turn over onto her stomach but realized that she was somehow trapped. She tried to open her eyes but closed them immediately when light pierced her retinas. As she struggled to open her eyes, she heard a voice creeping into her consciousness. "…ome… Kagome… OI WENCH?!"

Her hands flew to her ears to protect them from this verbal onslaught only to find another pair of hands already there. As this registered, her brain put 1 and B together: Inu Yasha was straddled across her, holding her head in his hands and screaming at her to wake up. She forced herself to peek at her surroundings to confirm this wild story which her brain had concocted and only noticed the look of panic on his face before she winced and closed her eyes as he shook her again.

"Kagome? Are you alright?!"

"Ugh, I will be as soon as you stop screaming and shaking me." She felt his hands relax and allowed herself a tiny smile. "You could also get off of me, you know…"

When there was no movement, she opened her eyes again. She saw the look of panic still on his face, if not a little relief, too. He wasn't gripping her head now, but one hand was holding her gently behind her head. She felt a rough hand wipe away hair from her face and watched Inu Yasha as he watched her. He seemed to be trying to convince himself that she really was alright. Kagome swallowed with enormous difficulty.

When his eyes met hers again, she saw him unguarded for the first time. There was so much sadness and age in his eyes, she felt the initial threat of tears. Quickly she turned from him and the intensity of his gold eyes and leaned on one arm while using the other to gently push him aside.

They each froze as they waited for the other to take the next step. Neither seemed willing to move first.

Kagome finally began to sit up but wavered as nausea washed over her. Inu Yasha twitched as if to move to her side but stopped before his arms could reach her. He seemed to have made a decision as he nodded briefly to himself and turned his back on her. When he spoke, Kagome could hear the forced gruffness in his voice. "You idiot. You aren't home. Be careful, will ya? You nearly gave me a heart attack, screaming like that, you know. I couldn't see with the curtains pulled and nearly tripped over you when I went to open them. You must've run into the wall and hit your head on the chair when you fell. You'll have a monster goose-egg for a few days. Wouldn't be surprised if you gave yourself a freaking concussion."

As he told her this, he'd gone to the small container for ice and deposited a few cubes into a clean washcloth. He walked back to her in silence and handed her the washcloth without any further words. When she gingerly reached up and accepted the makeshift icepack, he turned immediately and began to prepare for departure.

Kagome winced as she put the icepack to her temple. The throbbing began to slowly subside as she thought of something. "Inu Yasha?"

"Mm?" He didn't look at her when he responded.

"Um, how long was I… you know, out?" She finished lamely.

He paused, as though, unsure he should answer. "…I don't know. What, you think I was counting the seconds or something?" he answered tartly.

Too tired and in too much pain to take the bait, Kagome sighed and said, "No problem. Thanks for the ice." And slowly began to stand up and begin putting herself together for the day to come.

--

It was Monday already. Kagome had been missing since Friday afternoon and Sango was still waiting around with tweedle-dee, tweedle-dum, and tweedle-dumbass with nothing to do but worry.

They were all staying at Sango's place so that the moment news came, they could be on the road. Oddly, Miroku had been the one so far to keep the peace. He'd kept his hands to himself since they picked up Hojo and was setting a cheerful mood and keeping conversations light. He'd tried to make small talk with the new comer, Hojo, but had quickly realized the folly there. The boy didn't seem to have two brain-cells to rub together, poor thing. He was cute, Sango admitted that much to herself, but the serious lack of independent thought brought his average waaaaaaay down.

Again, Sango tried Kagome's cell phone number. She'd been calling all weekend, trying to make contact with her friend, but her phone was either dead, off, or out of network. Sango cursed the thieving cell phone companies again. _More bars in more places, my ass._ She thought bitterly.

--

They had a routine by now. When they woke up, Kagome and Inu Yasha would both don bathrobes and take their clothing to the hotel laundry facilities, if available. One would stay to watch the clothes while the other showered first. Usually about the time that the washer was done, they would switch out. Whoever showered first was also responsible for raiding the kitchen buffet/mini-fridge and bringing supplies to the other.

Kagome had lost at _jan ken_ for the first time in a long time and was now sitting beside the washing machine, still holding the washcloth to her temple. She was re-playing this morning in her mind for the eighth time already.

With a small smile to herself, she sighed and thought, _So _that's_ how you fall in love…_

--

In the car, neither party seemed willing to speak. Too much awkwardness in too short a period will kill a good conversation every time. Kagome looked out her window as usual, while idly feeling the growing bump on her forehead. It already looked terrible. Add to that the fact that she'd barely slept last night and she looked beyond terrible.

Inu Yasha was trying to play it cool, Kagome could tell. He seemed to focus on the road and look bored but Kagome saw through his macho act. He shifted in his seat every minute or so and kept sighing heavily. Add to that the white knuckles gripping the steering wheel and she knew darn well that he was just as confused/upset as she was.

She was smiling at that thought when she heard the noise coming from the back seat. _Funny, _she thought,_ that almost sounds like a cell phone vibrating…_ She turned to Inu Yasha to mention this when she saw his reaction to the noise. He was casting guilty glances between Kagome and the backseat and wringing his hands on the steering wheel.

Barely believing he could possibly have hidden this from her, she coolly stared him down, waiting for the indignant denial that would free her from the obligatory beating she was planning for him.

When he didn't deny it, but merely turned away from her gaze and flattened his ears against his head, she threw off her seat belt and began climbing into the backseat to investigate for herself.

Unfortunately, she forgot a few things before taking this course of action.

1. She was wearing a skirt

2. You can see a lot in a rear view mirror (no pun intended)

3. Inu Yasha was trying to drive a technically stolen vehicle down a small town road

4. Inu Yasha, however he may try to deny it, was still a male

So as she flung herself half-way over the front seat, Inu Yasha was granted a rare sight—a full view of Kagome's Hello Kitty panties. Transfixed by this image, he forgot that he'd taken his eyes off the road. Actually, he'd taken the whole car off the road while his eyes had wandered.

Kagome, meanwhile, had found a cellular phone inside a pocket of the sword's carrying case. She had barely had a chance to answer it when the car went off the pavement. She heard a woman's voice on the other line before dropping the phone in her own attempt to keep from flying across the out of control vehicle.

Kagome directed every foul word she could think of at an already swearing and oddly red hanyou.

When the car finally rolled to a stop, Kagome turned to Inu Yasha, a goddess of vengeance and destruction. She grabbed his shirt in both hands and blinked back tears as she interrogated him.

"Why didn't you tell me you had a freaking cell phone?! What the HELL is wrong with you? If you had a gee-dee cell phone, why didn't you let me call my friends or family? Do you have any idea how guilty I feel for letting them worry about me for so long?! I've been gone for almost three days, now! What if Sango's called my mother and my mother is worrying about me? Huh? Well, jerkface? I know you're selfish and as long as I am the only one being hurt, it doesn't matter! But you listen here, you had NO RIGHT to let everyone else worry about me!"

She saw the mixed looks of panic, remorse and the old sadness play across his face before she released him to search for the phone she'd dropped earlier. When she found the phone again, she saw the other caller hadn't hung up yet. Embarrassed that someone may have overheard this, she put the phone to her ear to see if they had heard her.

"Uh, I'm so sorry…" Kagome stammered into the phone. A delicate and distinctly Japanese woman's voice responded, unsurprised.

"_Ah. Moshi-moshi? Inu Yasha ga…"_

"**Ah. Hello? Is Inu Yasha there?"**

"_Eh? Inu Yasha? Aa. Hai. Chyoutto matte kudasai…"_

"**Oh? Inu Yasha? Um, yeah, hold on a second please…"**

Inu Yasha's ears perked at the sound of his name and took the phone as Kagome wordlessly handed it to him. He didn't bother with Japanese as he arrogantly answered.

"Oi. What the hell do you want?"

Kagome saw the smirk disappear and turn to anger and fear when the woman responded to his question. She wished she could hear as well as the half-demon could, as she was fairly sure Inu Yasha wouldn't repeat what the woman had said to shake him so much. Inu Yasha crushed the phone in his one hand suddenly and threw the remnants out the window, sending a foul epitaph after it.

Before Kagome could ask what was going on, she heard sirens and saw the flashing lights announcing company. She looked to Inu Yasha for instructions. Were they going to make a run for it? She was shocked and a little hurt to see him stare blankly forward and slowly raise his hands in the air.

"What?! You're giving up? I thought this sword was important to you! You coward! We can make it, Inu Yasha!" She grabbed his arms and tried to lower them, unable to accept having misreading his character so thoroughly.

He didn't look at her or lower his arms. He merely said, "You shouldn't assume you know everything, kid." Then he did turn to her, "Oh, and you may want to pull down your skirt. I don't think either Hello Kitty or your bum, as cute as they may be, will get us out of a set up."

As Kagome let all this register, the police had surrounded the Volvo and drawn their weapons.

She tried to smooth out her skirt, which was indeed almost up to her waist, as she ran the last part through her brain again, _…get us out of a set up_. _What could that mean…_

* * *

A/N: Woo! Long chapter, eh? I hope you all liked it! Let me know if you have any questions or comments, please. If you would prefer to ask directly, feel free to visit my page and email me.

Thanks!


	14. Blowin' in the Wind

Kagome never imagined that one day, being incarcerated would be the least of her worries

A/N: Here's another chapter! Yay! If all goes according to plan, I might be able to wrap this bad boy up in another 4-5 chapters. (Crosses fingers)

I just want to say at this point that, yes, this story is labeled as a comedy. I know that the past few chapters have been kind of heavy for something that's supposed to be funny. Please bear with me. This is all a part of the story—without valleys, there can be no mountains, eh? There will be funny parts to come, fear not! In the mean time, enjoy the drama!

**Warning. There is some violence and slightly disturbing images in this chapter. Keep in mind this should not be read by those under age 13.** Thank you and enjoy.

* * *

Kagome never imagined that one day, being incarcerated would be the least of her worries.

She sighed as she checked off another disillusion about America: in the movies, they always were read their rights and given a phone call, yada, yada, yada. Not the case here. Technically she didn't even know why they were arrested. She had a couple of pretty good guesses, but they hadn't told her anything or even questioned them yet. They'd been in the 9 x 9 cell for 20 hours now. It was 9:00 am on Tuesday morning.

--

Sango hadn't stopped moving since they got back to the apartment with Hojo on Sunday night. The drive back had been painful with Miroku obviously trying to keep Sango and Koga from killing the poor half-wit with the big mouth and tiny brain. _Seriously_, Sango thought bitterly, _I thought we had him with the "How long can you go without speaking?" game, but not two minutes into it he says, 'How long has it been?'_

They had made the trip mostly out of a desire to be productive and now were faced once more with the task of merely waiting. She was in the middle of cleaning her face when Miroku finally insisted that she must go straight to bed. Confused and a little indignant, Sango wanted to know what exactly gave him the right to decide that. He pointed out that instead of astringent, she was rubbing nail polish remover on her face. Even Sango admitted that was a pretty strong indicator that beddy-bye was a good idea. Sango finally fell asleep around four in the morning and slept fitfully. When Miroku shook her awake, she told him that she'd had the strangest dream…

She was beside this beautiful lake, admiring the scenery. It was a picnic. She looked to see who she was picnicking with, and saw her car parked on the blanket with her. She felt a wave of relief at seeing her car again. Suddenly, the skies turned red and fluffy clouds now dripped black. She looked around in fear and confusion to find none other than Satan standing there, demanding her car.

Looking slightly amused, Miroku said, "Yes, love, I know you miss your car…" But Sango continued speaking, her brow furrowed as she tried to remember more details.

"I told him he couldn't have it, that I really liked my car." Miroku nodded indulgently and patted her hand. "He said that he would settle for taking my soul instead!"

Miroku managed to keep the laugh from escaping his lips at the thought of anyone, much less Satan, wanting Sango's P.O.S. car. He instead rolled his lips together tightly and tilted his head, trying to look concerned and interested.

"But I wanted to keep my soul, too!" Sango seemed genuinely concerned about the dream dilemma. Then she turned and looked at Miroku for the first time. "…So I offered him your soul, instead."

Miroku felt his eye twitch. "Darling, it was but a dream…" he said, half trying to convince himself that his girlfriend really wouldn't be willing to sell his soul to the devil in order to save her car.

She shook her head to clear the sleep and the remnants of her dream. Looking at him again, she asked Miroku, "Oh, what did you need, baby? You woke me up…" she said a bit petulantly. It was one of the rare things about Sango that Miroku truly loved—these unguarded moments first thing in the morning, when she wasn't afraid to pout to get her way.

"Oh, yes. Dearheart, your phone was ringing. I didn't recognize the number, so I didn't ans—" He never finished his thought because Sango had heard enough. She pushed Miroku out of the way and fought her way free of the remaining sheets. She ran out to the kitchen where Hojo was cooking an omelet and Koga was still sleeping on the couch.

She grabbed the her cell phone from the counter—she had plugged it in the kitchen socket last night to charge it and forgotten to unplug it. Before she could call the number back, Hojo looked up smiling. "Oh, good morning! Yeah, the phone kept ringing, so I couldn't sleep. I thought I would make us some breakfast! Hope you like omelets!"

Sango stared at him for a moment before asking, hesitantly, "Hojo-kun. If you heard it ringing, why didn't you answer it? We're kind of waiting for an important call, remember?"

He just smiled even brighter. "Of course! I answered I think it was the third time they called. Some police station apparently has some car impounded. I thanked them for letting me know. Very polite. Although, I can't for the life of me figure out why they would call and tell us that… Is that a public service here?" He tilted his head to one side in what would have otherwise been an adorably inquisitive expression had Sango not been filled with murderous rage.

Before she could kill the smiling idiot, though, her phone beeped, indicating a voicemail. Her heart pounding, Sango grabbed a pad and a pencil and listened to the message with tears already flowing.

It was the police. They had found a car fitting the description of her Volvo in the possession of a young Japanese woman and a hanyou with silver hair. They were in a small city in Nebraska. It was 10:00 am in New York City on Tuesday.

--

Kagura smiled to herself. There were few things she found true joy in, and easy money was definitely one of them. When the toad had given her the specs of the job, she nearly laughed in his face: it was like taking candy from a baby. No, it was more like taking candy from a spoiled brat whom you despised from the depths of your very soul. There was even a time limit to make things interesting. She was also intrigued by the dark horse—this human girl the mutt was traveling with. All who were close to the great inu youkai, Lord Sesshoumaru, knew the shameful relationship Inu Yasha'd been through with a different human, years earlier. Fewer knew that that was not the first time.

_Silly puppy, making the same mistakes again, mm?_

Oh, yes, Kagura was going to deeply enjoy humiliating the half-breed and returning the sword of power to its rightful owner. She would move soon, now that he knew it was her. Inu Yasha could not defeat her. From the time they first met, he had been nothing but pathetic. His very presence made her furious.

Yes, she would move swiftly. She would strike silently. Like the wind.

The sword was to be returned to New York City by midnight Wednesday. It was 9:05 am on Tuesday.

--

Kagome shivered. Inu Yasha hadn't spoken since his vague warning that this was all a "set up". She had tried several times to draw him out but he seemed to have tuned her out completely. She was forced then to spend her time with her own thoughts.

They weren't pretty. She was furious with him for keeping the cell phone from her, for one thing. And the fact that she still couldn't decide how she felt about him was making her unfairly irritated with the handsome hanyou. He did have his moments where he was exceptionally sweet to her, but he usually seemed determined to make everyone dislike him.

Unfortunately for him, however, Kagome was rather the obstinate type. So trying to make her dislike you is only going to make her want to like you even more. This was exactly what she was afraid of. But she still couldn't figure out how you could fall in love with a person who was so abrasive and secretive…

Her thoughts kept coming back to the same points, each time becoming more uncomfortably close to, but never yielding, a conclusion. She sighed again.

They had been making great time, too. They were about half a day's drive from the Colorado state line when they were pulled over. The town was not large, so the station was quite modest. Although, Kagome was pretty sure that most things in rural Nebraska were quite modest.

She looked out the window high in the cell wall. As tiny as it was, she could still tell that they were in for some bad weather—and soon, if she was correct.

Unfortunately, she was completely correct.

It was 9:17 am on Tuesday in Brady, Nebraska.

--

Inu Yasha couldn't believe how stupid he was. He knew his half-brother and how he works. He, the high and mighty demon lord would never deign to go after his lowly half-breed, half-brother himself. No, he'd send Jakken, the toad, to do the dirty work. And Jakken would find another bigger, stronger, and dumber demon to do it for him.

But he didn't see this coming. Not _her_. Kagura was stronger than Jakken, certainly. In fact, she was stronger than _a lot_ of demons twice her age. That wasn't what worried him about her, though. Strong he could fight. But Kagura of the Wind was different. She wasn't like Jakken's usual strong arms—she was smart. Inu Yasha knew it was her from her first breath over the phone.

The first time he'd seen her she was at the side of his brother. Inu Yasha was just a puppy—not even 10 years old yet—but she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, aside from his mother. And even though he thought her beautiful, his instincts warned him of danger in those jeweled eyes. She sought to be the companion of Sesshoumaru and her infatuation with the inu youkai was painfully obvious to the most casual observer.

On that day, the day when she was rejected coldly and plainly by Sesshoumaru's ice-gold eyes, no one saw where the heart-broken demon had flown to—none save one insignificant hanyou hidden from all but the higher circles of the demon societies. Inu Yasha was playing in his mother's chambers when he smelled the frozen wind coming. It carried sweetness with it, but also anger.

When their father had taken a human to wife, he had gifted her a small palace of her own. Some said it was meant to hide her from the world but others insisted it was meant to hide the world from her and the half-blood child she bore. After she passed, however, the young Inu Yasha was left nearly deserted in the palace, with but one or two to feed and watch over him.

On this morning, he was in his mother's favorite room. Mirrors were rare in those days, and quite costly. His father, however, was a very great demon and had fashioned for his lovely human wife a room with delicate murals depicting legendary heavenly maidens bathing and extravagant gold leaf covering the walls. Within the walls, however, he had dozens of different sized mirrors covering the faces of the women. Inu Yasha had heard many theories about that room.

The poison tongues said that his mother was so jealous and vain that she didn't want any other woman's face to have her husband's attention. Inu Yasha believed that his mother wasn't like that. He believed what his favorite servant, the strong and gentle human, Mamoru, told him. Mamoru would sit the young hanyou on his knees and tell him of his warm and kind mother and the inu youkai's great love for her. Mamoru said that the reason for the Mirror Room was to say that Inu Yasha's mother was more beautiful than all the beauty of the heavens.

When Inu Yasha smelled the strange wind coming and knew he must hide from the wrath the wind must be carrying. As he scurried to hide behind his mother's dressing table, he briefly remembered hearing Mamoru's strong voice call out for him. It was time for his lessons. Before he could call back to his tutor and guardian, the window coverings flew open. Wind tore at the room and threw the lighter furniture and objects in the room into the chaotic tempest. Mirrors began shattering from flying debris and from the shaking of the walls.

Terrified, Inu Yasha clutched his sensitive ears tighter to his head and burrowed as far into the corner as was possible. After what seemed an eternity, the wind began to subside. Inu Yasha poked his head around the corner to see if the danger was gone.

Grief washed over the child as he saw his mother's beloved room in wreckage. Standing amidst the broken glass and assorted shrapnel, was the beautiful demon from earlier. Her kimono was all askew and her hair, once immaculate, was disheveled and falling from its place atop her head. He saw her struggling to compose herself and slow her ragged breathing. He realized she had been crying. He remembered Mamoru telling him once that when you see someone who's sad, you should try to comfort them. Wiping his dripping eyes and nose on his sleeve, Inu Yasha began to get his feet underneath himself to go to the sad woman. She was so beautiful and so sad… "Please don't be so sad…"

At the sound of his voice, she whipped her head to stare at him in fury. She locked eyes with him and slowly straightened herself to her full glorious height and took a fan from her obi. Pointing the fan at Inu Yasha, she coldly said, "You pathetic mutt. I do not need the pity of one whom I would rather see never born. Take it with you to the bosom of the whore you called mother."

With one precise and fluid flick of her slender wrist, the fan was open and lifted above her head. Wind rose from nothing and began to swirl around the fan, growing in intensity until the wind itself solidified into a single curved blade along the edge of the fan. As she readied herself to strike, however, there was suddenly someone at the door. Without thinking, Kagura of the Wind redirected her attack. Inu Yasha watched the world stop spinning as his last true guardian and friend, the strong Mamoru, was ripped apart by blades of wind.

She turned back to the sobbing hanyou child and watched him cry. She spoke only once. "I want you to remember. Your birth was a mistake. In you flows half the blood of the greatest inu yokai to live. It is a gift bestowed upon the unworthy and as such, recompense is necessary. You do not deserve happiness. Those of purer blood and strength and wealth are even denied it and so you shall find this life to be doubly cursed. That human for whom you weep is dead because of you. Remember that and never speak to me again, lest another should suffer the same fate." Shortly afterwards, she silently would leave the room and the child behind.

It was Inu Yasha's first memory of the demon Kagura and the last time he had wept in the presence of another.

When the phone rang he knew he was screwed. He didn't even know it was there, actually. And when the person on the other line asked for _him_, he knew that he was wrong: they were _both_ screwed. He'd been found by his brother's lackeys and they were toying with him. Someone had to have planted the damn cell phone—it couldn't have been with them the entire time, the batteries would be dead by now.

But he never thought it would be _her_. His hatred and mistrust of women began shortly after she had murdered his guardian in cold blood. If there was anyone that he hated more than his brother, it was Kagura of the Wind. And of course she would take the job. She was desperate to get in the good graces of Fluffy no matter what the cost. And when you consider that her hate for Inu Yasha was nearly greater than his, he began to seriously worry.

_I should have left the girl behind. Kagura knows I'm with a human girl now and she'll be in danger. How could I be so _stupid_?! I have to find a way to get out of here, and fast. Kagome will be safer here, with the cops, anyway. She can go home and forget all about the mean old hanyou who kidnapped her… she can go back to her friends… and family…_

Kagome had been trying to talk to him since they were locked into the tiny cell. She was trying to not be angry with him—which only increased his feelings of guilt. She had reason to be angry, sure. But still, it was _her_ fault for not leaving when he told her to. He told her it was dangerous and that he might not be able to… protect her.

At the admission of that, there was absolutely no way that he could bring himself to look at her. _Better if she's angry at me. She won't want to follow me anymore. Then she'll be safe…_

Inu Yasha heard her sigh and settle into the cot on the other side of the room. Even though it was morning, neither of them had slept much during the night. _She must be going to sleep… _It was 9:06 am.

--

The first thing that creeped into Kagome's consciousness was that it was awfully drafty in the cell. She coughed and turned away from the wall to see what Inu Yasha was up to. She was tempted to laugh at what she saw. He was standing stock still, with his nose pointed straight up and his eyes closed in concentration. She was about to loose control and start giggling when his expression changed. It grew dangerous and feral. She felt herself swallow hard when she heard the threatening growl emanating from his throat.

She sat up and tentatively began to reach for him. "Inu Yasha…?"

Before she could touch him, however, his eyes suddenly flashed open. He looked to her and in an instant had grabbed her shoulder, spun her around and wrapped himself around her, forcing them both into a huddling position near the bars of the cell. Too shocked to say anything before, Kagome felt herself going red as she heard and felt his breath against her neck and ear. Sputtering, she managed to get out a few words, "What do you think—" before Inu Yasha's hand moved from around her ribs to cover her mouth.

His lips were pressed against her hair, just above her ear, as he whispered in a tone she'd never heard from him before, "Don't worry. I'll protect you."

Before she had time to wonder what he was protecting her _from_, the opposite wall of the prison cell suddenly exploded. Chunks of brick and mortar were flying everywhere as wind whipped all around Inu Yasha and Kagome. She could barely even open her eyes, the wind was so strong. She noticed an alarm was blaring in the background and she heard the rush of feet as the men on duty at the station came to investigate. Inu Yasha's arms held her tighter.

She never saw what happened to them but Kagome would never forget the scent of flowers on the wind and the feeling of blood splashing against her skin and quickly turning cold. In fact, it was that along with the sound of a woman's cold laughter that would haunt her nightmares for years to come.

--

As soon as the wall burst open, he knew he had failed. His brother would get the sword, the girl would be killed, and once more he would be left alone with his grief and his remorse. The alarm was blaring and the wind shrieked. He felt as though his ears would burst from all the sound. When the cops came, he knew they, too, were doomed to dance for Kagura's wind blades. He couldn't even hear if they screamed. He felt the blood of the humans' splash against himself and Kagome. She had begun to shake after the wall burst and when the wetness touched her skin, he heard one thing above the howling of the wind and the screaming of the alarm—he heard Kagome whimper once in fear.

It was this one small sound, which somehow managed to reach his ears, which ultimately steeled his will. _Not this time. Not again. …Not _her_…_

--

It was even better than Kagura had hoped for. The puppy was obviously in love with the human girl—look at how he's trying to cover her body with his. She was filled again with a sweet hatred for the half-breed. He had no right to play the hero. He was the dirty hanyou thief and it was time for him to be reminded once more of his place.

She allowed herself an indulgent smile. She was going to enjoy this.

--

Suddenly all had grown quite, save the blaring of the alarm. Kagome could feel Inu Yasha's arms holding her tightly and she could feel the beating of his heart increasing. His breathing became ragged and he slowly began to loosen his grip around her. Wiping away tears she didn't know she'd shed, Kagome forced herself to not look at the deformed bodies of the police men lying at her feet.

Inu Yasha turned from her and faced the rubble where once their third cell wall had been. As she followed his gaze she saw the source of this chaos: a devastatingly beautiful woman. She was cold and elegant. By the point of her ears and the shear viciousness of this attack, she knew this had to be a demon sent by Inu Yasha's half-brother.

When she saw the demon smiling at Inu Yasha, she knew that if they didn't do something fast, they were both going to die. It was 9:12 am.

--

They had left the apartment in such a hurry, Miroku was certain they had forgotten something important behind. He had said as much to his beloved but she seemed to have not heard him. That happened a lot.

They had gotten a call at about 10 o'clock that some small town cops had found a car that's plates came up as stolen. It matched the description of Sango's car and had two passengers—who matched the descriptions of Kagome and Inu Yasha. Once Sango had stopped crying, she told them all as much and they quickly mapped out the route most likely taken by the others and packed a few days' worth of clothes into Koga's car.

They were safe, at least. That's what really mattered, Miroku thought sagely. It was 10:22 am in New York City.

--

"Well, well. I thought you might have learned by now, mutt." Kagura seemed to lavish each word. Inu Yasha growled lowly in reply. The wind demon laughed. "What a naughty puppy." Her laughter stopped suddenly and her cheeks flushed with an ill-concealed rage. "You steal your dead father's sword and run away from home with nothing less than some new human whore and you have the _nerve_ to growl at me like some filthy stray?"

Kagome felt rage of her own bubbling within her. This was it. This was why Inu Yasha became the emotionally constipated wreck that he was now. She stepped in front of him and threw her arms out, as if to stop the demon's words from touching him. Perhaps he didn't mind or perhaps he didn't even see her anymore, but Inu Yasha made no move to stop Kagome. Even if he had tried to stop her, she would have spoken her mind.

"Who do you think you are? How _dare_ you speak to him that way?! Inu Yasha is a far better person that you could ever hope to be! He is kind and loyal and strong—but because of people like _**you**_**,** he tries to hide who he is! Knowing yourself is a damn hard thing by itself without having bullies like you coming along and telling you lies to make themselves feel better!"

The demon had turned to watch Kagome and seemed to have listened to her calmly and in a detached way. When Kagome paused to draw breath again, the demon never even changed her expression—she merely flicked her wrist across her chest and Kagome felt the air leaving her lungs. Slowly panic began to take hold as she tried to gasp for the air which would not come to her. The room began to spin as she felt her head throbbing in pain from the lack of oxygen when suddenly a huge chunk of the fallen wall flew past her and into the path of the demon's vision.

With a graceful flick, her fan was open and the piece of wall was momentarily stopped and suspended in midair in front of her. She negligently flung it behind her and studied the sight before her. Inu Yasha was standing protectively in front of the crumpled Kagome, who was coughing and greedily taking in all the air she could to replenish her depleted supply.

Kagura looked past him to the human girl on the floor. "Worm. Your criticism was almost amusing, were it not for certain glaring omissions. Firstly, I have known this pathetic creature for nearly 150 years. You have not. I have seen the humans he's used in the past and have seen what becomes of them. You have not. He is weak and craven and an embarrassment to all whose blood is pure. Knowing your place is more important than 'who you think you are'."

Inu Yasha growled once more. Again, the demon laughed. "You cannot hope to defeat me and you know it. If I choose to, I can take away your new toy, your newest human whore, and you … know … it." She smirked.

Kagome had stopped coughing and was shakily trying to stand when she heard Inu Yasha speak for the first time since the demon's attack began.

"No. …Not this time."

She seemed surprised for the first time since Kagome had seen her. She obviously thought she was going to have no trouble walking all over Inu Yasha.

"…You _dare_… you dare to speak to me? Do you not remember that day, mutt? The first of your human friends to die for your sins?" Kagura was now white with fury. She raised her fan above her head and Kagome saw the wind suddenly appearing and solidifying around it. Suddenly she realized that Inu Yasha had taken her hand. His eyes were intense and focused on the fan—but he didn't look as scared as she thought he ought to be.

She saw Kagura's wrist begin to bend and was knocked off her feet by Inu Yasha's body. Immediately behind their fall came dozens of blades forged from the very wind, destroying what was left of the prison bars. Without pausing to explain, Inu Yasha hauled her to her feet and carried her out through the new opening in the cell, into the police station. He stopped only when they reached an unmarked door with a number pad outside it, obviously for security reasons.

He stopped long enough to tear the door off the hinges and fling it aside. He grabbed a small handgun and the long black case containing the sword. Setting down Kagome, he put the strap over his shoulders, and speaking quickly and quietly to her. "Listen, I'm going to carry you on my back. You take that gun and shoot at whatever comes at us. You got it?" Before she could object he shook his head and said, "You don't have to hit anything, just shoot close enough to distract, okay."

Kagome looked into his eyes and saw trust for the first time. She looked down at the gun in her hand and noticed for the first time how much blood was on her. She began to shake with silent sobs.

He took her roughly into his arms and whispered into her ear, "You can do this. I need you to do this, Kagome. Don't think, don't worry. I need you." With that he pulled away from her and looked again into her eyes. Even through the tears and the fear and the panic, Kagome knew, once and for all that she would do anything he asked her to do. She would because she was in love with him.

--

After she watched Inu Yasha take the girl and run, Kagura bent and breathed out slowly. Her breath was an icy wind, which slowly collected as though in some invisible container. After a few minutes, the shape was complete. Standing before her was a lesser demon of wind and ice. It was not capable of great thought or understanding. It was, however, strong and focused. "Go," was all she said to make it turn and follow the path of the hanyou. It would not be enough to stop him, she knew, and it probably wouldn't even be able to kill the human girl if the mutt wants to protect her. As much as she hated him, Kagura had heard of how strong the half-breed had grown.

As she rode the wind to the mountains of Colorado, Kagura began to decide what to do next. This was much more interesting that she had originally expected. In an hour or two, she found herself perched upon a snowy peak, contemplating how best to relish the task ahead. She thought in passing that perhaps it wasn't such a shame the girl was still alive. This would be much more fun if it didn't end yet. Besides, she still had 60 hours left.

A/N: Well? Too dark? Believable? Just right? Let me know! Later!


	15. Carried Away

A/N: Alrighty! Good news, guys! I've found a way to work on the story much more often, so that takes a lot of pressure off of me... I have the rest of the story outlined and its looking like it will be 17 or 18 chapters total. We'll see what I end up with (wink wink).

* * *

"You can do this. I need you to do this, Kagome. Don't think, don't worry. I need you."

Kagome nodded mutely, her emotions too thick to allow speech. He quickly and silently showed her how to cock the gun and made sure the safety was off. Then he bent down and Kagome climbed onto his back, adjusting herself so that the sword case wasn't too much in the way. For a moment she was surprised to realize how small Inu Yasha's arms were. He was immensely strong but his demon blood made his muscles hyper-compact. They were toned, sure, but they didn't look much meatier than her own arms. When he stood, however, she felt the power of his youkai half.

She secured one hand around the front collar of his t-shirt and held the gun as confidently as she could manage. This was not going to be fun.

--

Inu Yasha's mind was racing. At times of battle, he felt his blood boil--almost as if his body was trying to erase the humanity from within him, leaving only the beast to wreak havoc upon his foes. Having Kagome's soft and warm body against his back, however, caused a different boiling. The beast was still there, certainly. This time, however, the beast was not bent upon total annihilation, but rather the protection of something... someone...

--

He began running and Kagome nearly dropped the heavy gun from the sudden acceleration. She'd never seen anyone move so fast! Her eyes were watering before she realized she was supposed to be looking behind them for any forms of pursuit. Her bobbing vision of the wreckage behind them picked up no new threats. She willed herself not to relax, though. He was counting on her to be their first line of defense. Should she fail...

Suddenly Kagome's attention was pulled from these morbid thoughts. She had seen something. Something was coming for them. She saw the debris left behind them now being hurled from the path of their new enemy. She instinctively knew that it wouldn't be Kagura. The wind demon seemed too proud to come chasing after her prey.

As they broke through the security point separating the prisoners' area from the rest of the police station, Kagome saw for the first time a lesser demon. Most demons still around today were vastly powerful and very much aloof. They'd survived centuries of pursecution and generations of "demon hunters" and were not so foolish as to be among the common people of the human world.

Lesser demons, however, were not typically intelligent enough to have lived past the feudal era. With the spread of technology and information, humans began to bind together and purge their lands of these 'demons'. With no money and no connections to rely on, they were ultimately wiped out. Any lesser demons seen after this time were very young and created by a stronger youkai, usually meant to live for a few hours at most.

This lesser demon was obviously from the wind witch Kagura. The air around it froze as it made slow and dreadful progress towards the fleeing pair. If she looked carefully, Kagome almost thought she could see a cyclone of frigid air encirlcing the monster.

Coming to her senses, she realized she'd been staring at the thing she was supposed to be shooting. She tightened her grip on Inu Yasha's shirt and braced herself for the recoil. She pointed the gun as best she could, considering she was riding on the back of a running hanyou, closed her eyes and squeezed the trigger.

The sound was deafening, even for a human. Kagome didn't even want to think of how much it hurt the hanyou's ears. Shaking off her superfluous thoughts, she looked to see if she'd hit the ice creature.

...If she had hit her target, it didn't even leave a mark. Swearing to herself, she cocked the gun again and took aim once more, this time she forced herself to keep her eyes open and on her mark. Her last shot hadn't even slowed the damn thing down. She had to do something... He was counting on her...

She took a deep breath and, though she was never a genuinely religious person, Kagome prayed. _Please, what ever god might hear me... please help me..._

She felt a warmth running through her stomach and a power not her own welling from within.

--

Inu Yasha heard Kagome fire the gun. The demon which Kagura sent after them was already catching up. He'd hoped that they would be able to make it out of the building before they were caught, but no such luck. He had already taken two wrong turns and found a dead end. If he knew where the exit was, this would be so much simpler. But he couldn't even smell fresh air thanks to all the dust and debris in the air. That and the scent of a female human exuding fear. When he heard her swearing and reloading, he knew that either she was not a good shot or they were in trouble. She was pressed tightly against his back and judging by the way her heart was racing, it was the latter of the two.

He resisted the urge to turn and see what was coming or how close it was. If he took his eyes off the path, he might trip and end up killing them both. His mind was flooding with images of monsters catching up to them--and reaching Kagome first. _You **idiot**! You've put her in even more danger--she's on the front lines..._If anything happened to her... Silently Inu Yasha offered a fervent prayer. _Whatever powers be... whatever happens to me, just protect her..._

He felt something then. Something stirring and warm; a power he somehow recognized as familiar but distinctly not his own. He'd never felt this before.

--

Kagome decided this warm feeling was a good sign and breathed deeply to settle her jittering hands. As shetook aim once more, it was if another pair of hands were on top of, guiding, her own hands. She fired and reloaded three times without pause and without taking her eyes from the monster. Three direct hits. She saw the monster flinch as chunks of ice broke off from her bullets. Silently she exulted until she saw the wind. The nearly invisible cyclone she thought she'd seen earlier was now a full-force gale, reaching out from the monster and grabbing the fallen pieces only to reattach them again. The monster never even faltered in its step. In fact, the wind seemed to hasten its pace--it was now within arms reach of Kagome. She aimed again, and waited for those hands to help her again. She felt nothing but the racing of her heart and the chill emanating from the lesser demon.

Tears of frustration, panic, and fear blinded Kagome as she tried desperately to shoot the monster. When she clicked to the first empty cartridge, however, she knew it was a lost cause. For lack of any other weapon, she lamely and spitefully threw the empty gun at the monster. She knew it was pointless, if not childish, but it was all she had.

"Inu Yasha! Pick up the pace! We're in trou--" Her warning was cut short as she saw the monster begin its counter-strike. She saw one terrible arm of frost raise much as its master had raised her hand to strike Kagome down before.

She saw the whirling wind forming a dull blade. Her heart seemed to be stopping as the world turned to slow motion.

She saw the blade come swinging down in a clumsy imitation of Kagura's. She felt Inu Yasha's strong shoulders tense, as if he could feel the immediate danger she was in.

She closed her eyes and hid her face in the crook of his neck. The last thing she remembered was the feeling of falling and the searing of pain.

--

They had been on the road for about two hours when it happened.

It was typical, Sango thought. She'd always said that men were just over-grown babies pretending to know what they're doing. Thus it was that the three "men" she was stuck with had argued extensively over who would navigate. When it came down to rock, paper, scissors, she seriously contemplated leaving them all behind at the apartment. Finally it was decided that she would drive and each of the boys would take turns navigating. They all wanted to take turns driving but Sango quickly vetoed that idea.

Hojo, somehow, had managed to win the first round as navigator. Considering that this was his first time in the United States, much less the New York City metropolitan area, Sango knew this was going to be ugly. Fortunately for her, his time as navigator was inevitably short-lived. It was mutually agreed that anyone who sang "Another One Bites the Dust" as the car merged onto major highways would not be welcome inside the vehicle. The prospect of riding across the country tied to the luggage rack was enough to convince Hojo that perhaps he wasn't cut out for the front seat.

Koga was next in line. He seemed to be doing fairly well, Sango had thought. He gave directions with confidence of one who knows where they're going. For over an hour she turned right and stayed on the main road with nary a care until they passed the sign saying, "NOW ENTERING NEW YORK".

There was a stunned silence in the vehicle as the four adults contemplated this. Finally Koga spoke, "New York? Do they mean the city or the state?"

They had pulled over shortly thereafter at a gas station to regroup. Sango left the boys in the car while she made use of the little girls room, bought some headache medicine and asked for coherent directions. She was leaving the restroom when she saw the three males loading up on munchies and drinks for the road. They grinned impudently at her when she asked how they were going to pay for all this. Hojo chimed, "Oh, Miroku-san said that you had a credit card for emergencies."

The look on her beloved's face indicated that this was probably not a slip of the tongue, but rather a well thought-out ploy to avoid picking up the tab. Sango grudgingly caved at three high-powered sad-puppy faces but warned that this would be the last time she'd be paying. She reminded them somewhat pointedly that she was not the only one with a source of income but was in fact the only woman in the group and should therefore not be in the role of provider.

Her face blanched at the total and she silently vowed to disembowel Miroku the next time they were alone.

As she reached into her wallet, however, whatever was left of her generous mood quickly evaporated.

Her credit card was gone.

Panic swept through her as she tried to remember where she'd seen it last. Was it back at the apartment? No... The last time she'd used it was to get her oil changed... She was running late for work, so she'd probably shoved it and the receipt together into her glove box. She was always doing stupid things like that!

When it sunk in that her credit card was in her car and therefore with Inu Yasha and Kagome, Sango felt her knees go weak. Miroku caught her before she could completely faint, luckily and the other boys helped him carry her outside to a bench. They were asking what was wrong, most likely, but she couldn't be sure. She'd blocked out outside stimuli as she contemplated again the situation. She didn't trust herself to speak yet and didn't want to admit she'd done something so careless as to leave her only credit card in her car.

An idea suddenly brightened things considerably. Kagome never had cash--Sango knew her roommate well enough--and Kagome didn't carry checks. Unless Inu Yasha was incredibly rich and quite generous, the pair probably didn't have the sufficient funds to survive the cross-country trek they'd taken. So, what if they _happened_to find Sango's credit card? And what if they just _happened_ to have run out of money?

Sango suddenly jumped to her feet, her cheeks flushed at the double-edged gift she'd been given. If they were using her credit card, she could find out where they were! She ran to the car, leaving the boys thoroughly confused at her behavior. She didn't want to get their hopes up yet. She had to get to a bank and fast. Standing in front of the dozen or so ports for gasing vehicles, Sango remembered that they weren't in her cat, but rather in Koga's. They had pulled up to refuel at the space with a peeling number "2" above the monitors. When she located port 2, however, there was no car there.

_Odd. Weren't we parked at number 2?_

As she contemplated this anomoly, the boys caught up to her and all came to a screeching halt beside the befuddled Sango.

Suddenly Koga squeaked like a little girl. "Where's my car?!"

--

Thought began again slowly for Kagome. Her mind seemed to fight against her weary body and she struggled to open her eyes. When bright light began to filter through, her eyes closed protectively of their own volition. Silently she decided that sight could wait; the more prudent path would be perhaps feeling her surroundings.

She felt wind blowing--but not softly as a breeze... This was more like... being in a car with the windows rolled down. She tried shifting her body weight and discerned that she was lying down, for the most part... probably in the back seat of a car. Oddly, she felt slightly annoyed when she realized that she was not strapped into a seat belt.

Movement was the next hurdle to overcome and it was only slightly easier than skiing blindfolded. When she tried sitting up, her forehead made a dull 'thump' as it collided with part of the door's handle bar. She moaned softly in complaint and heard some movement from in front of her. The car slowed and she felt it veer gently from the straight path of the road onto the bumpy shoulder. The car stopped and she heard a door open and close. She began to try sitting again--very slowly--and relied heavily on the handle bar to help support her shaky frame. She heard crunching footsteps growing near and forced her eyes to accept the painful daylight in exchange for more information.

She barely had time to make out the outline of two fuzzy triangles when suddenly her support was pulled from underneath her. The door had been opened, thus allowing Kagome to crumple once more and fall from her sitting position into two strong and warm arms.

She groaned in protest to the sudden and jarring movements only to be rewarded with a cocky laugh. "Keh. Mornin' wench."

--

It had not been a plesant morning for the hanyou. In the station, he remembered only bits and pieces of what happened. He remembered the attack and running. He remembered Kagome on his back, a desperate attempt to buy him enough time to get them both away from the danger. But he had failed. He remembered that much. Waves of putried self-loathing washed over him at the thought. He had failed.

He remembered the weak demon chasing and Kagome firing. Then she was telling him to go faster when he felt her heartbeak change and her scent peaked suddenly. He felt his own heart faltering as he turned to use his own body as a shield. He saw the weak but still dangerous wind blade drawing a severe arc through the air and he remembered the jolting impact of the blade against his shoulder... and ...her cry of pain as they both fell against the debris-ridden floor. She had hit her head, he had thought. Just a bump, he'd told himself.

Then, he remembered, came the blood. First, he thought it was his, from his shoulder; there was a warm wetness against his shirt. But his nose told him the truth he didn't want to know. The blood was human. Hers. He slowly lifted her and saw the small wound just inside of her hairline. She must of hit her head on one of the rocks littering the floor... He might have called her name, he couldn't remember.

After seeing her wound, he didn't remember much at all, actually. Only the anger and the terrible need to hunt and avenge.

When he had come back to his senses, he wasn't sure where they were or what had happened.

They were in an open field and he was holding her in his arms, close to his body. His own body had obviously been through a lot but his youkai blood had healed most of his injuries. She was pale and the blood had matted in her black hair. The bleeding seemed to have stopped, though, so the danger was past. So long as so woke and woke soon, she should be okay...

As he felt the last of his demon blood return to its dormant state, a wave of numb exhasution pulled him to his knees and forced him to gently set Kagome down. As she was laying on the dry grass before him, he surveyed the total damage. She had small scratches nearly everywhere, but thankfully no large bruising. She was smeared in sweat and dirt, though, which only accentuated her paleness. Swallowing hard, Inu Yasha looked at her and realized for the first time how small she really was.

Kagome's personality was strong and almost abrasive in some ways. She never acted superior or inferior to him. In a flash of insight he understood that he'd been thinking of her as his equal--not taking her physical size into perspective. He'd been treating her that way, too. He'd been making her live like he had, as a vagabond, toughing it out, eating what he ate (i.e. anything cheap and plentiful), putting her in the same danger...

And she had never complained. Bitterly, he found himself angry with her for being that way. If she hadn't been acting like nothing bothered her then he wouldn't have treated her so roughly... would he?

That was a very disturbing question for him to face. All this was not like him. He stood suddenly, as if forcing himself to change his feelings, and surveyed the surrounding area. He began forming his next steps. He stood over her while he thought, unaware of his own reluctance to leave her unguarded. After a few moments, he had a plan.

They weren't too far from Vegas now. They were on the outskirts of Beaver, Utah and that was about 3 hours from Vegas by car. It was a little unsettling to think about how far they'd come since he lost coherent thought in po-dunk Nebraska. He chose not to think about all the implications therein and focused on getting to their destination.

There was a construction site not too far from the field where they were now. With more confidence than he'd felt in a while, Inu Yasha carefully lifted the still unconscious Kagome and turned west.

--

It had taken the toad a while to climb the frosty peaks of the Rocky Mountains to meet with Kagura of the Wind. He was quite out of breath and in a particularly unpleasant mood. She had been quite adamant that he should come to her, however, and she knew too much to be cut out of the deal at this point.

Jakken sneezed violently and turned to the arrogant demon. "Well, where is it?" He said none too graciously.

She kept her back turned to him either from his apparent lack of importance or a desire to keep her expressions hidden. She laughed softed at his question. "Silly toad. I have plenty of time. I want to play more first."

He balked at her. "What are you talking about?! You don't have _plenty_ of time, you barely have _any_ time!" With this rude comment, she turned on him, and bore into him with her icy and probing eyes. "What do you mean, toad?" She snapped at him.

Confused, Jakken decided to play along. Clearly she had some ulterior motive in mind. She knew the time limit and she knew who she was working for. Kagura of the Wind was not so weak as to need extra time... Clearing his throat the toad explained, "Mistress, the sword must be returned to Lord Sesshoumaru within the next 32 hours-- by the stroke of midnight on Wednesday... that would be tomorrow..." he added lamely.

At first she looked as though she was going to laugh; like this was all a big joke. But the smile faded as she looked at him and realized he was serious. Her emotions flared across her face as she raged at him, "You told me I had 92 hours to retrieve the sword! That would mean that I still have 58 hours left." She said it as though she dared to correct her math.

Stammering and avoiding eye contact, Jakken swallowed with difficulty. He realized his mistake. When he told her how much time she had, he forgot to subtract the time he'd taken to track her down. She thought she had 4 days instead of 2 and a half.

Before he could manage to diplomatically explain that it was his fault, Kagura exploded into a full-blown fit of rage.

--

The small city of Estes Park, Colorado, at the base of a certain peak in the Rocky Mountains recieved landmark winds and icy rain that day.

--

A/N: I know this one was kind of short, sorry. The chapters have been pretty dense so far and I'd like to lighten things up as much as possible. This is the tail end of all the heavy stuff, anyway, so thanks for sticking it out. The next few chapters promise to be quite a bit more light-hearted, so fear not oh ye faithful! XD


	16. Dress the Part

A/N: Alrighty. This one is really long, but I couldn't wait to write the last part. XP The next chapter will probably be the last, but there may be an epilogue, we'll see. We're on the home strectch y'all!

* * *

It had taken a while to persuade Koga to call the police instead of seeking out the thief alone. Three humans couldn't really threaten him--his demon strength was too great. They certainly couldn't reason with him--he was nearly blinded by his rage. Finally Miroku tried out and out deception. Only after mentioning how 'disappointed Kagome would be' at the thought of her 'beloved' wolf demon locked away behind bars did Koga relent and agree to let the cops take it from here and give them all a ride back to NYC.

Sango still hadn't mentioned the lost credit card to the group. Until now, Kagome had been the victim here. If she was using Sango's card to survive, though, and Sango reported it as stolen, then Kagome might get into serious trouble. It was a tough call to make, but she ultimately reasoned that it was easier to say that Kagome "knew" about the card and was lucky that it was there. Besides, they knew where she was -- Kagome was safe and sound at a police station in Nebraska. The point was already moot, so it was best to leave it be.

It took nearly two hours for the cops to finish the paperwork and get the quartet back to the station. While they were waiting for Koga to finish speaking with a lieutenant, Sango happened to notice the officer they'd spoken with initially about Kagome. On an impulse, she went over to the counter and politely asked for a moment of the officer's time.

Well aware of how many people come in and out of the police station on even an hourly basis, Sango didn't expect the young man to remember her. "Excuse, me. Officer Smith? Hi, I'm the one who reported the missing person Kagome Higurashi?" She politely extended her hand in greeting and was surprised to find him smiling in recognition as he returned her shake.

"Ah, yes." He hesitated, looking at her, "Ms. Sano, was it?" Sango was shocked.

"Ah, San**_go_**, sir. Yes." She corrected gently, but still showing her gratitude in her tone. "Yes, I just wanted to let you know how thankful we are for all your help in finding my friend. We were actually on our way to get her when our car was stolen."

He regarded her a moment and suddenly threw his head back, laughing unabashedly at her. "My, my, young lady. Are you going for a record?" She flushed at this comment and was preparing to defend herself when he spoke again, this time serious. "I'm sorry to say, though, that it isn't entirely a coincidence that I remembered you, ma'am. I was on my way to call you when you caught me. I can't say that I'm glad to see you, I have to admit--I have some bad news." He spoke gently to her and while he looked at her face, he seemed to be avoiding her eyes.

As his words set in, Sango felt herself going cold. He reached out and cupped her elbow, guiding her to a nearby chair in front of a cluttered desk. As he set her into the chair, he knelt to look at her more fully. "Are those your friends over there?" He nodded in the direction where Miroku, Hojo and now Koga were waiting impatiently. Mutely she gave a short nod. Officer Smith reached out to grab a passing person and spoke tersely and quietly to them. A moment later, Miroku was at her side, looking confused and a little anxious at the summons.

"Is there a problem, officer?" He asked as he sat next to his girlfriend and placed a hand gently on hers.

They watched and waited as the man slowly got behind his desk. He seemed reluctant to speak. "I'm sorry. There's been an ...incident... at the station where your friend was being held." He paused, letting the panic sink in slowly and allowing them the time and chance to interrupt. When they did not, he continued. "An investigation has already begun, but the situation is grim. There was an attack of some nature at the compound. The prisoner's block was completely destroyed and every officer present was killed." With the last words, the officer seemed unable to look at the couple, his own grief at the tragedy was too new.

"But... Kagome..." Sango choked on the words. She had to know but couldn't make herself ask. She realized that Miroku had moved closer and was holding her around the shoulders as well as by the hand.

Lt. Smith raised a hand, trying to quell her alarm. "We can't be certain, ma'am. There were no bodies matching the description of any of those incarcerated at the facility and it is quite possible that both prisoners escaped and are still alive. We received reports of a stolen vehicle outside of Beaver, Utah, which is a few hours away from the site." He shook his head as if unconvinced. "I doubt they could have made it that far in that short time, but it is the closest thing to a lead that we have. We think that they might be headed towards a major highway that leads to Nevada and the West coast. We're posting lookouts every chance we get, but for now, we're back to square one." He paused, as if unsure what else to tell them. Finally he shook his head to himself and stood up from his chair.

Sango knew it was a dismissal, though a kind one. She nodded and smiled weakly, thanking the officer for the information. Silently Miroku walked her back to the others where they shared the news. While Hojo looked frightened, Koga seemed resolved. For a moment, Sango was thankful to the demon for his strength. _Maybe he's not so bad after all..._Sango considered. _At least _he_ didn't kidnap her..._And with that last bitter thought, Sango broke down sobbing.

--

Kagome sneezed loudly and winced at the wave of pain it set off in her head. "**Shitsureishimasu**." "_Excuse me._"

"Don't tell me you're getting sick, too?" Inu Yasha jabbed lamely at her. He'd been acting very strangely since she'd woken up; of that much, Kagome was certain. He'd been watching her almost constantly and seemed to be almost... cheerful... It was quite a disturbing effect.

"No, I'm fine. Just a random sneeze." Kagome reported. It was already nearly 2:00pm and they were about 5 miles outside of Las Vegas. Kagome realized that it was already Wednesday. It might as well have been a month later, much less 5 days. Suddenly, it occurred to Kagome that her academic career was probably shot, now. _Five days, two of them days with classes. This means I might as well forget about passing algebra. Missing two classes in a row is a kiss of death when you're already math-challenged..._Interestingly, Kagome found that she really didn't seem to care about her classes anymore. It wasn't that she thought they had been a waste of her time or not worth the effort, but rather, it seemed that she had found something else to devote herself to.

Kagome had spent most of her life wondering what to do with herself. She wasn't spectacular in any one aspect, but neither was she lacking, really. Sometimes it had seemed as though she was always waiting. She waited to get out of middle school so that she could be a high school student. Then she realized that the game was the same and none of the rules had changed--actually, a few had been added somewhere along the way. So she waited to go off to college. In the end, she had chosen to participate in the foreign studies program, attending school in America. Finally, she would have the excitement and adventure which seemed to be missing from her mundane life.

Unfortunately, it turned out that the movies are lies and America was not some fast-paced-party-all-the-time-jamboree. She had learned to accept and almost ignore that damp, hollow feeling she had inside when she thought about romance and fantastic adventures. And then... she had seen him. She couldn't believe she actually had felt anything remotely like that old cliche of 'love at first sight'. Whatever her feelings may have become, whatever she may have planned, _this _was where she had ended up. _This_was the path she had chosen to follow. It was illogical, irresponsible, frustrating and usually terrifying, but this was her choice. For the first time, she had done something totally out of character: She was on the lam with a hanyou who'd stolen a valuable heirloom from his half-brother and now they were on their way to seek the protection of his mobster ex-girlfriend in Las Vegas, Nevada. And somewhere along the way, oddly, she'd fallen in love -- despite his emotional constipation and her best efforts.

And now they were here. As they pulled into the city limits, it all seemed so anti-climatic somehow. The city seethed and thrived, uncaring and unaware of the strange questers at its doorstep. It was a shock for Kagome to realize that it had seemed as though the world had stopped when they began their mission. Now it was almost offensive to discover that it had not, in fact even noticed that she had turned her life upside-down to get here.

She considered that for a moment. From the beginning this didn't have anything to do with Kagome, she knew that. But somehow along the way, she'd picked up some extra... baggage, so to speak. Her feelings for Inu Yasha had prompted her to take rash actions and make deadly enemies. This couldn't be just his problem anymore. She was in too deep to pretend that she was just a spectator anymore. _Perhaps it's time that I let him know that..._

Bracing herself, Kagome turned and stared intently at Inu Yasha, hoping to get his attention that way instead of coming straight out with it. After a few moments, it seemed as though her plan had worked, as his eyes flickered from the road to her and back again. When he remained focused on the road and still silent, however, she grew irritated. The minutes passed by as they drove further into the city and she found the palpable tension unbearable.

"Hey. I'm trying to talk to you!" She finally said. He jumped at the sudden breach in the silence. He seemed to have been deep in thought and scowled at the disruption. Grumpily, he caved in. "What?" he said shortly. Kagome flushed slightly at his reaction.

"You don't have to be angry."

"You started it."

"Did not!"

"Did, too!"

Kagome stopped herself from furthering this regression into childhood. Taking a deep breath, she pretended that hadn't happened. "There's something I need to tell you, so I thought we ought to talk." Its hard to begin when you have no idea where you're heading. "You know... about some ... _personal stuff_..."

Inu Yasha immediately went red and focused on the road ahead, uncomfortable. "Oh. I see." he muttered, trying to sound manly and wise.

Kagome ignored the tone and proceeded, happy to at least have his attention. "You see, there comes a time in a girl's life when things start... _changing," _she said, laying a heavy emphasis on 'changing'. Inu Yasha turned even brighter and suddenly pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road. Kagome was startled by this reaction but plunged onward. The words were still not coming easily to her and she fidgeted with her skirt as she tried to force eloquence.

"Well, I'm at one of those times, right now, Inu Yasha... and--" she was cut off by a clawed hand over her mouth. Her eyes were wide at his sudden and physical reaction to her words. His grip was firm, but not painful. She tried to shake free to ask what the hell he was thinking, but the hanyou refused to let go. She couldn't read his expression, since he wouldn't look at her. It was awkward for both as they sat in their silent stale mate.

Finally, Inu Yasha cleared his throat. "Look, I know about all that. I uh, I understand." He said the word slowly and in small syllables. He sounded uncomfortable and she could hear him trying to hide that with an extra splash of macho. She flushed again, this time in anger. She was trying to tell him that her priorities had changed and he was being so... so condescending about it!

"No, I don't think you do understand!" She retorted hotly. "How could you? I haven't even finished--" again his hand covered her mouth, but this time it was not alone. His other hand was clasped over the first, also preventing further speech, as if one wasn't enough. She threw her best super-angry-I-oughta-smack-you-into-next-week look at him. His responding look was one of pleading.

She wasn't expecting that. Her anger softened momentarily as he spoke again. "Of course I don't completely understand. I'm a guy. What I was trying to say was that I've..." he hesitated for a moment before letting the words tumble quickly out. "Ah...I've been with a lot of ... uh, _females..._in the past and I know that regardless of human, hanyou or demon, all women go through the same... uh... changes..." he finished uncomfortably. He took his hands away from the astonished and confused girl's lips and returned them to the safety of the steering wheel. After a moment, he started the car and began driving again.

Kagome was struck by this sudden confession on many levels. One, she didn't really like to think of how many women he'd been with in his long lifetime. Jealousy was not an attractive trait, she knew, but it was instinctive none the less. She also wasn't sure what to make of his sudden insight into her feelings and the indifference with which it was met. It felt dangerously close to being rejected, though. Like when you get a crush on your best friend and they try to tell you without telling you directly that they'd rather kiss a dead moose's butt than think of you in "that way".

She couldn't bring herself to look at him as she tried to decide what to say next. She finally decided that regardless of how he felt for her, she would tell him that this was her fight, too. She had to say it; if only to make it real to herself...

She turned to face him and realized that they were pulling into the back of a gas station. Curiously, she peered over to the gas meter to see that it was still over half-full. Puzzled, she looked to Inu Yasha to ask him about this when she noticed his face was still red. He threw a guilty look in her direction and coughed to stall the words he obviously did not want to say. He swore under his breath and suddenly wrenched open the car door and slamming it closed behind him.

_I guess he's gotta go... _Kagome thought curiously.

She sat disconsolately in the front seat, waiting for him to return and tried once more to force the words to come to her. She was so lost in thought that she missed the hanyou exiting the building and his return to the vehicle. He was as red as ever and refused to look at her. "What is it, Inu Yasha?" Kagome asked him gently, bewildered by his odd behavior and reaching out to touch his arm.

At her touch, he turned to and from her again. Finally, he reached into his pockets to pull out a small plastic card. Without facing her he thrust it at her and said in quick succession, "Here. Gobuywhatyouneed."

Completely lost, Kagome looked at the card in his hands--it was a credit card. _Oh. So that's how he's been paying for everything..._ Then it hit her. The name on the card was not anything near 'Inu Yasha'... no, it had another name on it. She slowly took the card from his hand and waited for him to look at her again. When he did, his expression was one of panic and despair.

"Why, pray tell, do you have my roommate's credit card, Inu Yasha?"

Frantically, he searched for an escape. "Well, you see... um, there's a perfectly good explanation, but maybe we should wait until you're not... ah, until your... " visitor" leaves?" He blurted and winced, waiting for the verbal beating to come. When it didn't, he looked up to see a still somewhat angry but more hurt and distinctly confused Kagome looking back at him.

"What are you talking about? I'm _not_ on... it's not _that time of the month_, Inu Yasha!" She was turning red and he could see tears welling in her eyes. He looked confused, too. "Well, you sure are emotional. Is it just PMS, then? I think they have that _Medol_ stuff here," he offered nervously.

The look she gave him spoke quite plainly that he was waaaay off mark. As tears began rolling down her cheeks, she finally spoke. "What the hell kind of dog demon are you, anyway? Isn't there some kind of--oh I don't know--_scent_ marking a female on her cycle?!" He looked abashed, affirming that he didn't even think of that part. "So _that's_ what you thought I was talking about! I knew you couldn't be sensitive to the feelings of others! God, I can't believe I thought you understood what was happening."

He tried to interrupt her, to ask what she was talking about but she ignored him and moved to the next offense. "And now I find that you've been using my best friend's credit card to pay for everything!" She laughed bitterly. "I guess I know why you wouldn't let me see you pay for anything, you **knew** that I'd recognize her card! You, you, a-hole!" she exploded at him.

Her anger finally stirred a response in him. "Oi! Didn't you wonder why we always stayed at the cheapest places? Did it ever occur to you that I don't like using another person's credit to take care of _my_ business? I was planning to pay her back--plus interest--once this was settled and I got my hands back on my own money! Do you think I'm _that_ pathetic that I would steal her money to survive?"

"Why didn't we stop at a bank, then, you genius? You could have withdrawn your own damn money! Now you're a thief!" she accused.

He stopped before arguing that point and thought. "Well, technically I already wasa thief, but that's besides the point! Listen little girl," he said scathingly. "When my father died, my inheritance was put into a vault with that damn Fluffy having power of attorney until I reached 140 years." He put up a hand to stop her objection. "I know its a random number but that's what was in my father's will, alright?" She waited for him to continue, hands still crossed across her chest in a hostile manner. "My inheritance includes a lotta money as well as that sword." He motioned to the back seat. "As soon as the dust had settled, Fluffy took the sword for himself and mailed me a check every month or so. I would have had the check yesterday, but I've been kind of busy so I haven't really had the chance to check my mail." He added sarcastically. Kagome tried to find something wrong with that, but he continued. "So I couldn't just waltz into a bank and ask for money--Fluffy would know I had taken the money and when and where it had happened. Then he'd find me and take the sword back, thus defeating the purpose of stealing it in the first place. Understand now?"

He waited. Kagome's face was turned away from his. She breathed out slowly and turned to face him with now dry streaks of tears on her cheeks. "Inu Yasha, I apologize. I just wish you would have told me that sooner." She spoke slowly and calmly. "But I have one question for you..." He looked to her with curiosity, not sensing the trap. "Since when did you learn how to speak so eloquently?" she smirked at him.

--

They had left the stolen vehicle behind at the station and decided to use public transportation to avoid the hassle of hiding it. After the whole misunderstanding they had made use of the facilities to clean up a bit. Inu Yasha refused to answer any more questions, only responding to her inquiries with a vague "I got a plan" to reassure her. They finally got off the tram in down town, towards the end of the strip. Kagome recognized a few of the older, more famous casinos. As they walked along with the vast sea of tourists, Kagome wanted nothing more than to find a nice, clean bench upon which she may lay her weary and oh-so-ouchy head. Judging from the time she spent knocked out, though, she figured that this lassitude was an aftereffect of her concussion.

Inu Yasha looked down at Kagome, unobtrusively. She looked like a wilting flower. He looked around for a somewhat reputable place for them to sit and get a drink. It was time to initiate the plan.

--

"So let me get this straight," Kagome said slowly, trying not to look directly at the half-breed next to her, lest she loose control and laugh in his face. "This Kikyo of yours lives in a penthouse behind the strip. We cannot get into said penthouse, however, as she doesn't know we're coming, right?" She waited for confirmation before plunging onward. "But all is not lost: she owns the newest casino on the strip--and it just so happens to be opening tonight." Her tone was laden with sarcasm. "So by _your_logic all we have to do is get into the most exclusive new casino in Las Vegas--even though I am not 21 and have no proof to say that I am, win enough money to get the attention of security or whoever," she waved her hand, indicating her disinterest in the specifics, "And they'll give us whatever we want, i.e. to see the proprietor of this astounding establishment. That pretty much it?" She looked at him, hoping that her rehashing of his ridiculous plan would persuade him not to follow through with it.

He thought for a moment, seriously considering if there were any flaws in his scheme.

"That's pretty much it!" He replied. His tone dared her to complain. She took the invitation readily. "What the hell is wrong with you?! _I'm_ the one with the head injury! What on earth makes you think that this absurd plan could possibly work?"

He frowned. "Do you have a better idea in mind, miss smarty-pants?"

"No." She admitted.

"Then don't complain. Besides," he smirked, "you've never seen me in a tux before. Trust me, this'll work."

"... where are you getting a tuxedo, pray tell?" Kagome asked sweetly.

His ears folded and he shot her a guilty look. "Well, since I'm paying your friend back anyway, I thought... you know..." he struggled to find a way to show this in the best light. "Well, we're sure as hell not getting into the opening of a casino dressed like this." He shot back at her defensively.

"So _I've_ got to get a dress, too?!"

Inu Yasha stared at her, dumbfounded.

"What?" she said, embarrassed by his reaction.

"I don't believe it!" Inu Yasha exclaimed. He sounded as if he'd just found out that reality TV was actually scripted.

"Dammit, dog-boy, what is your deal?" she exploded at him.

Finally he turned to her with an awe-inspired look on his face. "I just don't believe it. I've just found a _girl_ who doesn't want to go shopping for a new dress." He said it as if he'd found a six-legged frog but was still able to duck before she could flick his fuzzy ear in retaliation. "Besides," he laughed, "if we get the right dress, nobody and I mean _no body_ will question your age."

Puzzled and a little flattered, Kagome blushed softly as Inu Yasha paid for their drinks (water for her, and some smelly adult beverage for him). This was not going to be pleasant, Kagome couldn't help thinking. She despised shopping for several reasons. One, the shape of women was _very_different here in America. Japanese women do not have many curves. Period. American women, on the other hand, tended to be very, very curvy. Two, similarly to reason one, the sizing system was different here. These two combined made it nearly impossible to find anything that even fit her, much less that looked flatering on her. Her third and final reason was a trifle less easy to explain. She had already admitted to herself that she was very much in love with him. This would make anyone a little uneasy. Kagome, however, was in an extra-special-crappy situation. She was self-conscious enough about her body without having to put on some skanky cocktail dress and covering her face with lots of make-up. How was she supposed to feel beautiful when the parts she wanted hidden were displayed and the ones she wanted to show were covered up?

They found a phone booth and called the new casino to see if there were any rooms left in the hotel. Big surprise, it was booked solid. He persevered, though, and called until they found a decently priced room there on the strip. When they checked in, he asked the concierge, as if it were second nature to him, where they could find a reputable shop for evening wear. He spun some simple yarn about how their baggage was late because of a hurricane near some distant and exotic location. The concierge looked a bit skeptical, seeing how the couple looked and the fuzzy ears atop Inu Yasha's head, but apparently saw no harm in sending them with a hotel car to get suitable attire.

Inu Yasha went in with Kagome to the boutique and spoke briefly with the severe woman in charge. He gestured frequently to Kagome with a look of pity and patronization. She flushed as she imagined what he was telling the woman about her. Whatever it was, however, seemed to have impressed the woman. She nodded fervently and smiled a fake, botox-hindered smile and held open the door for him to leave. At that sight, panic filled Kagome. She ran through the shop and grabbed his arm as he was leaving. She whispered harshly. "Do-not-leave-me-here!" Her heavy breathing made it difficult to speak. "I swear, you better not leave me with these yuppie waifs!" She threatened as he smiled indulgently and picked her hand off his arm with two clawed fingers. He condescendingly patted her cheek and told her to be a good girl. She growled in response and heard his laughter fade as the doors closed in her face.

The cold and silent shop seemed more like a tomb to Kagome as she prayed a certain hanyou would be plagued by fleas. The woman in charge cleared her throat, indicating that she was waiting. Kagome spun around defiantly and lifted her chin. The woman paid no attention and spoke in a clear, deep-toned voice. "You," she pointed to Kagome, "there." She drew a line from Kagome to a stool in the center of a sunken area clearly devoted to measuring and altering garments. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself and took her indicated position. It took a moment for her to realize that half of her discomfort came from being separated from Inu Yasha. They'd been together constantly for the last five days and it felt wrong to be without him.

--

"My dear child," the woman said warmly to her. "I don't think you know what a remarkable gift you have been given." They had brought arm fulls of dresses to the head woman, whom had introduced herself as Vivian. Kagome, apparently, was not to have a say in the matter. She was almost thankful for that; if he wanted to make fun of her, and she had chosen the dress, she'd have no defense. And she was certain that he would be devastating in a tuxedo. She really didn't want to see him like that, things were hard enough for her at present.

It was not the first dress she tried on, oh no. Kagome was lost in a blur of tafeta and sequins, never really having the chance to even look at herself in the mirror to see what she looked like before the dress was subsequently removed after a short, "No" from Vivian. She felt her head spinning and was ready to drop dead from exhaustion when they found the dress.

It was in a sultry shade of red--there was almost a tinge of black in it. Full-length. The shoulder straps were long scarves, wrapping from behind her neck and making an X across her chest. While the fabric was wide enough to sufficiently cover her breasts, it also helped accentuate them and made them seem a bit more ripe than some of the other dresses. As if this wasn't enough to draw attention, the neckline was studded with various-sized jewels, all different shades of red, pink and white, forming a complimentary gradient of color. It looked almost as if Kagome's ivory skin simply crystallized with the dress and faded into the lush fabric.

After you got past the bust, though, the scarves pulled back sharply and plunged deeply, ending just above the beginning curve of her bottom and flaring out into a decadent train. Thus, the back was nearly as dramatic as the front, leaving nearly her entire back open, and even exposing some of her sides around her ribs. The front of the dress, after the bust, was form-fitting until the knees, where upon the gown exploded into a wave of loose fabric.

As soon as they had finished tying everything and zipping her up, she could feel the difference. The other dresses had been cut for curvier American women or were heavy with tacky beads--they felt uncomfortable. But when she put this dress on, it felt ..._good_. She still couldn't see herself, but she could definitely feel the drafts hitting bare skin. She flushed as she tried to figure out what all was showing but was interrupted by the silence of the ladies in the shop and Vivian's soft exclaimation.

Embarrassed, Kagome asked, "What gift?"

Vivian smiled and snapped her fingers, still not taking her eyes from Kagome. Two workers immediately broke from their admiring gazes to fetch a full-length mirror, which they held up for Kagome to see herself.

It was amazing. She'd never been much of a 'girly-girl'. Sure it was nice to wear skirts every once in a while, but she never wanted to play dress-up or try on fancy clothes. She'd **never** worn anything like this dress. It was meant for those women rich and beautiful enough to feel no embarrassment; only the desire to incite envy in every woman that sees them.

Vivian sighed once and snapped twice. Immediately girls swarmed Kagome with pins and needles, marking and poking where to make the minute adjustments to length and such and then quickly stripping her back down to her undergarments. A new group then took her over to a seat with a warm and large robe to keep her warm. The next thing she knew, it was dark outside and Inu Yasha was waiting for her. They had done all sorts of terrible things to her in the name of 'beauty'. She'd been given a facial, manicure and pedicure, had her hair and make-up done and been put once more into her incredible dress. She didn't recognize herself by the time they asked her to come back out to the front of the store where he was waiting. Her heart was in her throat and she would have sworn that her face matched the dress as she went to meet Inu Yasha.

As soon as she saw him all thought stopped. He was gorgeous. His hair had been washed and trimmed and pulled back tastefully at the neck. His tux fit him so well it ought to be illegal. But what made her stop wasn't how good he looked. What made her stop was the way he looked at her. Gone were all traces of those barriers and the years of hurt. He was looking at her with gentle, glowing eyes that spoke volumes to what he thought of the dress.

Vivian and the girls had lined the walls between the stunned couple and a few of the lower-level helpers snickered behind their hands. That broke the silence and the spell between them. Shaking his head as if to clear the fog, Inu Yasha smiled and held out his arm. "Shall we?"

--

A/N: I really--REALLY--liked writing that last part... could ya tell?


	17. Flying High

A/N: A couple of notes, here, guys. First, any dialogue within parenthesis is being whispered. Also there will be some dangerous behavior in this chapter and I will discuss it further at the author's note at the end. Please read these notes before getting upset with me, k? Thanks. .

Before you ask, this is not the last chapter. It would have been waaaaay too long and I want to be able to really savor the ending, don't you? So, with that said, please sit back, relax, and enjoy!

* * *

Staring out at the sprawling city beneath, the demon lord Sesshoumaru found himself in an oddly pensive mood. Most casual onlookers would assume he was always in a pensive mood--but those were the fools who dared to assume they understood this ancient and powerful demon. He was watching the lights of the cars passing one another slowly on the choked city streets and once more felt a wave of disgust. The human race was nothing more than some weak and parasitic beings that happened to out number their superiors. In passing he wondered what his own father had seen in them and for the millionth time he bitterly wondered why his father had betrayed their blood and mated with a human bitch.

"Lord Sesshoumaru!"

The great Inu Youkai felt his eye twitch involuntarily. The voice of his ever-perky receptionist blared through the speaker at his desk, disturbing his thoughts and the chill calm with which he usually surrounded himself. Again, the saccharine-sweet voice chirped, "Lord Sessssssssshoumaaaaaaaaaru!" Although he did not bother to voice it, he had often thought to himself that she seemed to take a certain, sick, pleasure in this chosen tone of voice. He heard her inhaling deeply, prepping the next, higher-pitched onslaught, and pushed the button before she could rupture his ear drums. "What?" he said, trying to sound bored, rather than betray his irritation.

At her desk, Rin smiled privately at her employer's response. She put another tally on a small post-it note with the day's date on it. She giggled wickedly as she congratulated herself. Eight-teen tallies today; a new record. She had been with Lord Sesshoumaru since she was a little girl--taken on as his ward after a tragedy had claimed the life of her human family and nearly her own life as well. At first every one in the household seemed to be waiting for their master to tire of this strange girl but she would just smile at them, not caring what they thought. From the moment she first met him, Rin knew that there would be nothing else in life for her but him. She had been born to meet and to stand beside this complex man. Well, he was a demon, technically. He was undeniably and incredibly beautiful--even for a man. Tall and toned, his icy eyes held only contempt for all they beheld. Most people seemed to be terrified of him. For some reason, though, Rin found the idea of Lord Sesshoumaru being frightening as ridiculous as the idea of Jakken being intimidating.

As such, she spent most of her free time trying to come up with new ways to tease her lord. Most would probably think her sadistic or ungrateful; but they were the ones who did not understand. She didn't care in the least what anyone thought of her. For whatever reason, the great inu youkai Lord Sesshoumaru had chosen to take her into his care. As such, she was determined to bring as much joy to his life as possible: whether he liked it or not. Sure, he _seemed _annoyed with her antics, but, hey, she was still here! Deep down, Rin was convinced that if he didn't worry about his image so much, the high-and-mighty Sesshoumaru would laugh at her more outrageous ploys.

Putting away her score sheet, Rin hopped up, taking the files and her notepad with her and entered his office with a triumphant little smirk. He didn't look at her when she entered, as usual, and she waited patiently while he tried to pretend he was too busy for his secretary. After a few minutes, he seemed to have decided that she was not in fact going to take the hint and finally asked her what was so important.

"**Hai!**" "_Yes_!" She smiled again and approached his desk without any hesitations. She laid upon his desk the plane tickets and reservations. He never really cared about the details but she knew he had to maintain at least the semblance of control over his life. "Sir! We have confirmed that Inu Yasha has checked into a hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada and has made a significant withdrawal from his now open account. I took the liberty to arrange transportation. All the preparations are complete for our 10:00 departure!" She threw the corresponding documents into the growing pile in front of the cold demon. She waited for him to comment before proceeding.

"Interesting. He finally made a mistake. The mutt must think that he is safe if he is willing to flaunt his location this much," he mused quietly. Rin bopped her head in agreement. "Mmm-hmm! That's what I thought, too! But why would he?" She put a finger to her chin and tilted her head in bemusement.

"Obviously he went there with something in mind. Or perhaps someone..." His eyes narrowed as he thought. "Rin." She snapped to attention, her body stiffening and her right hand forming a smart salute. He hated it when she did that.

"Sir! Yes, sir! I will immediately commence a search of prominent figures in the Vegas area with any connections to your half-brother!" she said deliberately. Lord Sesshoumaru did not like to be reminded of his involuntary relationship with Inu Yasha. He let it slide. "Rin, see that we are ready to depart immediately." He stood gracefully and his face twisted into the closest thing to a smile she'd seen. It was the cold smile of a dog who'd caught scent of its prey. "I will have my father's sword this night or there will be blood."

"Very good, sir!" She chirped in response.

--

Sango's hands were trembling as she looked at the online statement of recent bank transactions. Her face had gone from exultant to shocked to enraged. 15,000 for a _dress_?! 3,000 for limo rental? 10,000 for a tux? What the hell was going on here? The only good news was that now they knew where to find Kagome and Inu Yasha. It was a shame that she was going to have to murder them on sight, she reflected. All the previous charges were obviously for survival; bare essentials like cheap motels and gas stations. It looked like they went to a restaurant only once and even then they didn't spend over twenty bucks. As soon as she'd confirmed where they were, she set the boys to finding the cheapest plane tickets that they could to get them to Las Vegas as fast as they could. This had gone on for long enough.

Hojo called them all over, he'd found a direct flight to Vegas that would leave in an hour. It would be close, but if they could find enough seats, they'd get pretty good rates.

After a brief huddle, they all decided to go for it--it was now or never. "Alrighty, boys," Sango announced. "We're going to make it on the 10:00 out of New York, non-stop to Vegas. If we make this flight, we should have Kagome back by midnight!"

Hojo looked confused. "I thought it would take longer to get there, Sango-san." Her expression was withering. Koga smacked him upside the head, gently, "Dumb-ass. Ever hear of time zones? By the time we get there, we'll have gained two hours. It's mountain time there, not eastern." Hojo thought about this for a moment. "Wait. So when you say we'll have her back, do you mean back as in here, in New York or just back, as in _with_ us?"

No one objected as Koga locked his arm around Hojo's neck, effectively dragging him along. "Don't worry about it, kid. Let's just go."

--

Kagome was not accustomed to being stared at. Then again, it wasn't everyday that she was wearing an incredible evening gown and draped on the arm of a devastatingly handsome hanyou in a tux at the grand opening of the newest casino on the Las Vegas strip. It was a little fun, though, to see people gaping at her, she had to admit. It started to get old really fast, though, she noted. Pulling up to the casino in a limo was a bit much, though. She had refused to even get in, at first. This was going too far! She objected to using Sango's credit card for this kind of stuff but he assured her that it was all a part of his 'plan'.

Inside the casino, Kagome was overwhelmed by the sensory overload. The hotel's theme was appropriate, considering that Sin City was built on the back of mobsters, as everything was done in a 1920s motif. The waitresses were dressed like flappers, the bartender, the man on the piano--everyone was in period costumes. It was a surreal combination, the people and the building stuck in the 1920s while loud slot machines of the twenty-first century whirred and blinked invitingly.

Inu Yasha kept a firm but casual-seeming hand on her arm from the moment they entered the lavish doors. She felt foolish for having thought that she would be able to really help him. She was a fish out of water here while he was a shark in a silk tux. It took her a moment to realize they had been checking in with the 'comps' people, as Inu Yasha had explained them. In theory, by letting the casino track how much they were winning or losing, they could get things for free--complementary--comps. This was the key to their plan. If they couldn't garner the attention of the casino, they were totally sunk. It seemed appropriate, though, to be taking such a big gamble at a casino.

The first time that security approached them, Kagome was sure she was going to faint. She'd never been a good liar--especially under pressure. The guard, however, seemed about to speak when he stopped and looked closely at Kagome's face. He studied it closely and then gradually let his eyes drift to what was below her face. She began to turn red when Inu Yasha cleared his throat menacingly. The guard snapped back to attention and seemed embarrassed by his lack of professionalism. He nodded curtly to them and passed without saying a word. Kagome wanted to say something to Inu Yasha about the strange encounter but he was already moving on, heading straight for the high-limit roulette table.

One thing Kagome had been rather firm on was that she did not want to gamble. Even if she _was_ a citizen, it was still not legal for her to be gambling here in America--she wasn't 21 years old. The legal implications of being caught gambling illegally weren't exactly crystal clear, but they were definitely not good. Thus, it was decided early on that she would be there for moral support and, as he had put it, to "_look pretty_." While she found this to be moderately degrading and extremely condescending, she couldn't help the small blush creeping across her cheeks. That was technically a compliment, she told herself. A back-handed compliment, but one none-the-less.

They found an opening at a table and Kagome tried not to choke as Inu Yasha calmly asked for a hundred and fifty thousand in chips. He threw her a quick wink before turning his attention to the table, effectively forcing her to wait quietly while he played. She turned from the game and took to an old past time of hers: people watching. Las Vegas is also known as Sin City. Looking around, Kagome adjusted her thoughts around this preconception. To her, "Sin City" meant dirty and ragged. After surveying the teeming casino floor, though, she realized that this level of sin was far beyond what she had imagined.

"Excuse me." A high-pitched woman's voice drawled in a horrible attempt at a flapper dialect. "Champagne?" the cocktail waitress offered her.

Kagome's initial reaction was to say no thanks. She knew she'd bumped her head earlier and that alcohol was probably not a good idea right now. As she began her polite smile, however, Inu Yasha laughed roughly and leaned over to the waitress. He took a hundred dollar chip and casually flipped it next to the glass of champagne. He winked at the surprised woman and said, "Don't worry about her," sticking his thumb at Kagome, "she can barely hold down a wine cooler, much less alcohol," and he quite deliberately reached between the two women to grab the champagne flute for himself.

Knowing a challenge, Kagome roughly grabbed the flute first and chugged it all in one long gulp. The cocky grin on his face immediately fell and was replaced by a look of panic and frustration. He seemed to catch himself, though, and quickly pasted on another cocky, but impressed grin. He looked back to the waitress and winked. "Well, now. I guess she showed me. Why don't you just keep 'em coming, sweetcheeks?" he gave her another wink and another chip. She smiled brightly at them both, smelling a big-tipper _and _a competition at play here. "Cwoitanly! My name is Sunshine, and I'll take care of you," she bobbed her agreement. She looked to Kagome appraising. "Now, a lady like you shouldn't be satisfied with just champagne, right?"

Kagome swallowed hard. _Crap. I am such an _idiot_! Stupid Inu Yasha, why did I fall for such a stupid trick? And what is he thinking, anyway? He knows I hit my head--I swear if something goes wrong tonight and I die, I am _**so**_ haunting him!_

Forcing a pleasant smile, Kagome said, "Oh, I don't know! I'm really not much of a drinker..."

Sunshine didn't take the bait, though. "Pish-posh! I saw you and that champagne! You must have been a fish in another life!" she laughed at the joke for a moment, before letting it slowly and uncomfortably die under Kagome's 'I-am-not-amused' stare. Clearing her throat, Sunshine tried a new tack. "You just wait here, honey. I've got just the thing for you!" She winked at Inu Yasha and bounced off before they could stop her. As soon as she was safely out of sight, the couple turned on each other in furious whispers.

("What the hell were you thinking?") Inu Yasha grated at her.

("ME? What about you, you asshole!") she retorted hotly. Such language was usually reserved strictly for her inner dialogue, but it seemed that the champagne was already taking effect. Inu Yasha took an offended expression.

("WHAT? What do you mean what about me? I was trying to give you an easy out--but _no-ooo_--you couldn't take a clue!")

("What clue?! You start flirting with that skanky waitress and tell her that I can't hold a drink, what do you think I'm going to do, giggle and agree with you?") she threw him a mocking vapid and adoring look, ("Oh, darling, you say the funniest things!")

He shuddered. ("You do that too well. And what do you mean, flirting?")

("Don't change the subject.")

("Look, just don't drink anything else she brings you, okay? People with concussions should **not** drink alcohol, idiot. Despite how I seem, I do **not** want you dead, do you understand?")

Her eyes softened. "Really?" she said normally. She searched his eyes for any traces of contradiction. He held her gaze firmly, challenging her to find any.

"Really. Now if you'll excuse me, dear lady," he said extravagantly, "I've got a hot table here. I'm loosing money by the buckets," he smiled impudently, holding her gaze until she smiled again. "That's better. I don't want anyone thinking I'm so pathetic that I can't keep my woman happy." He winked and quickly turned around again before she could trap him again.

Feeling a warmth not exclusively from the champagne, Kagome fervently thanked whatever gods or demons brought her here tonight.

--

The flight had not been an easy one for Sesshoumaru. His eternally-perky secretary was usually enough to tire him. Somehow, however, his private jet was out of commission, forcing them to rely instead upon commercial airlines for transportation. Flying first class was an enormous step down for him. Add to that the under booking of their flight and the subsequent free upgrades from coach to first class and you had one very displeased youkai. There were only about 15 passengers total, and about 25 seats in first class, offering little chance of escape from close human proximity. The mighty inu youkai therefore chose the more subtle escape, by pulling on the obnoxious pink-laced sleep mask which Rin had packed--accidentally, of course.

He had forgotten, however, that his secretary was still a human and a rather chatty human at that. It came to pass then, that she had found the one human on the face of the earth whom loved to talk as much as she did yet seemed to be completely without a shred of intelligence.

Rin was holding the hands of this idiotic stranger and they were both crying as he relayed the story of his lost love. With a loud sniffle, she emphatically told the young man, "That is the _sweetest_ thing I have ever heard!"

He lifted his face, taking an expression of a romantic martyr. "Yes. I may not have been there for her in the past, but I can't fail her now! I will find Higurashi-san and save her from this evil hanyou!"

Sesshomaru's ears perked. He literally couldn't help but hear this loud and emotional converstation. Hanyou? He didn't even bother pretending to wake up or to lift the frilly eye mask he was wearing. He turned unerringly towards the source of the male voice and asked in a tone as un-intimidating as he could manage, "Did you mention... an evil hanyou?"

The poor man, however, obviously misunderstood the motives behind the demon's question. He saw the pointed ears and heard the quiet voice and immediately thought he had offended the demon. A wave of fear rose from where the human was, informing Sesshomaru of the misunderstanding. He lifted the mask from his eyes and looked at the human. "Please don't misunderstand, boy. I have met many untrustworthy hanyou in my long lifetime. I have heard your story and am quite sympathetic to your cause." He said in a neutral tone. Honest compassion was quite impossible for the demon lord, so the best he could manage was to not be openly hostile. The young man smiled nervously and the scent of fear gradually began to fade. An idea suddenly came to him.

"I am sorry to intrude upon a private matter, but tell me, do you have a plan for when we land? What I mean is, is there any way I can help?" he inquired. Rin shot him a suspicious glance before catching herself. She knew him well enough to know he was up to something.

The man looked surprised, then abashed. "Wow. Well, actually I'm not sure. Wait a moment, I'll ask my friends to come over!" he sounded like this was a PJ party, Sesshomaru thought disgustedly. A moment later, three more came back with the original man. He was grinning broadly and the inu youkai noted that the smile was dangerously and painfully devoid of thought.

"These are my friends, Sango-san, Miroku-san and Koga-kun," he gestured to the two humans and the wolf youkai with him. "My name is Hojo. It is very nice to meet you!" He bowed sharply and promptly hit his head on the luggage rack. It was only years of discipline that keep his eyes from rolling.

--

"Changing a hundred!" the casino employee called over his shoulder. Inu Yasha had been loosing money left and right. He tipped outrageously and bet on the worst odds. Kagome was starting to feel a little bit better, now. Things didn't seem as bad as they had a few mintues ago, actually. She had been worried about 'Sunshine' and what concoctions she would try to force on Kagome. When the cocktail waitress did return, however, she carried only a single martini glass with a champagne colored drink in it. There was what looked like cinnamon and sugar on the rim and a decorative curl of orange peel drapped over the edge to dangle invitingly inside the liquid.

She forced a smile and was forming a polite, "no thanks" when Sunshine cut her off by grabbing her hand and placing the glass in it. "Trust me, just try it. This is our house drink, the Cable Car. I think you'll like it," she winked at Kagome and left before the stunned girl could object further. Curiously, she sniffed the drink. It didn't reek of alcohol, like she expected... She carefully lifted the glass to her lips and took a tiny sip.

"Can you believe they only fit three sips in this cup?!" she slurred at Sunshine when she returned. Kagome had finished the drink and was licking the remaining sugar off the rim by the time the waitress had come back with a new drink. Even Sunshine was impressed. "Lady, I've only been gone for a minute!" she smiled wickedly. "That's ma-girl!" She took the empty glass forcibly from Kagome and placed a new, longer glass into her wobbly hands. "Have you ever had a Long-Island Ice Tea?" she asked innocently.

--

Inu Yasha couldn't believe it. Everything was going smoothly and then this idiot goes and gets roaring drunk. Did she have a death wish or something? He berated himself for not keeping a better eye on her. _I should have locked her in the damn hotel room. The idiot's been walking around with a concussion and now she's plastered._

He'd just lost a spectacular bet when he turned around to share the joy with Kagome, only to find her chugging some martini-like drinks from a grinning Sunshine's loaded tray. From the looks of it, Kagome had already finished two and still had three more on the tray to go. Griting his teeth together, he forced a smile. He took Kagome's arm carefully and pried the glass away from her. He set it on the tray and sprinkled four or five hundred-dollar chips on top. Looking meaninfully at Sunshine, he suggested that the lady was done for the evening and that perhaps Sunshine had better find another customer.

Not missing the thinly veiled threat, Sunshine made a hasty retreat as Kagome sang out "Bu-byeeeeeeee" to the waitress.

He gently turned the laughing Kagome to face him and held her by the arms. It took a bit to make her focus on him and he swore quietly to himself when he saw how dialated her eyes were. She was roaring drunk.

Speaking quietly and slowly, Inu Yasha tried to ask her how much she'd had to drink in the last fifteen minutes. It took a few tries for her to realize he was talking to her and she kept staring greedily at his ears, before he gave up. _Gotta rap this up and quick._Kagome was whining that she wanted to play, too. Sighing heavily, he guided her back to the roulette table.

"C'mon, ya lush. You can help me pick my numbers."

"Yippe-skippy!"

"...shit..."

--

Kagura stood on top of the hotel's neon sign, invisible to the throngs on the street below. "You have humiliated me for the last time, puppy. Tonight all accounts are to be settled."

With that vicious promise, Kagura of the wind began to plan her attack.

--

A/N: Alrighty. First, I want to say that I DO NOT condone or advocate under-aged drinking. Obviously this is just a story, but I just want to be clear that the law is there to protect and I agree with it.

Second, please, please DO NOT think that it is a good idea in any way to drink if you've had a head injury. I did some research and every place I looked says not to consume alcohol within 24 hours of sustaining a concussion. Just consuming it does not necessarily cause further injury, but it **_GREATLY_** increases your chances of getting hurt even more.

There will be one more long chapter to follow and and epilogue after that. This is it, guys! XP


	18. What Happens in Vegas

A/N: Oh em gee. Alright. This is it, guys. The last chapter. Its a monster, I know, but there was so much that needed to happen and I didn't want to make y'all wait for another chapter. FYI Kikyo makes her grand debut here. Don't take offense, I know that she may seem really out of character to some of the more hardcore fans out there. I look at it as though this is another facet of her personality--what she could have become, if you will.

* * *

"This is so much fun!" Kagome chirped loudly. "Why didn't anyone tell me that _roo-let_ was fun?!" she demanded to no one in particular.

It had been a very long and very trying half-hour for Inu Yasha. Kagome was quite drunk and couldn't be left to her own devices. He'd innocently suggested that she pick a number or two for him, helping to loose money and keep her safely occupied in the process. Much to his chagrin, however, it seemed that his date was rather lucky at picking numbers. She hadn't picked a wrong bet yet, actually. After doing quick mental calculations, he was dismayed to realize that she was actually _making_ them money. While this could still accomplish the same goal as loosing vast amounts, his pride demanded a bitter response.

As Kagome began another round of good-luck chanting with the growing crowd around their table, Inu Yasha surveyed their surroundings again to check for signs of action. Fluffy _had _to know that something was up and would probably be there soon. Kagura also hadn't paid a call since the jail-break and that really made him nervous. The one thing he really wanted to see was the casino staff coming over. _That _would be the sign that they might just make it. Kagome cheered and jumped up and down in place after winning again. He hated to admit it, but she was absolutely adorable right now. The alcohol added a healthy flush to her cheeks and the sheer happiness radiating from her smile nearly made his knees give out. He realized that he hadn't really seen her smile much in the last week or so that they'd been together. That only made him feel worse, though, when he thought about what he was still hiding from her.

---

Miroku could feel the headache coming on already. The flight had been a trial for all of them--Hojo had made a new friend early-on in the flight and had managed to tell her his entire life story as well as the details of their current mission. No one had really thought much of this until the idiot brought them over to meet his other new friend--an obviously powerful and therefore dangerous youkai. Thankfully the young man had been raised with the patience and the mind of a monk. While it may not seem like it to those around him, Miroku was actually incredibly perceptive of those around him--particularly those of demon blood. When they had been presented to the civil youkai Sesshomaru, Miroku forced himself to suppress a shudder of fear. No youkai this powerful would go out of his way to help a group of humans. Period.

But there was little that could be done now. While the others seemed delighted by their good fortune, Miroku knew that somehow, they had become hostages.

---

There was a polite knock on the door. People were usually polite when knocking on the door of an underground mafia boss.

She didn't turn from the window at the sound, as most people would. She wasn't like _most _people. For one thing, she was almost 90 years old and still in the prime of her life. In her youth, she had been a great and delicate beauty, though, at the time, she did not hunger for the power this gave her. But soon she realized that beauty was like the blossom of a flower--rare and brief. She searched then for a means of preserving her own fading beauty; whether it be mystical or scientific, she didn't care. At last she found legends speaking of a particular gem. The shikon no tama - the jewel of the four souls.

The legendary gem was supposed to be just that--a legend--but she became convinced of its existence. Her search took her many places and she met many who shared her obsession for the jewel--humans and demons alike. She had even become involved with a hanyou at one point. She always smiled when she thought of him. He had served well--he was ultimately the one who found the legendary jewel and foolishly had handed it to her as a 'gift'.

The legendary jewel, though, turned out to be nothing more than a pretty bauble. She had spent _years_searching for immortality and all she got was this lousy, three-inch in diameter, flawless, pink diamond to show for it. Humiliated and frustrated by this failure, she committed her first deliberate murder. She shot the hanyou who'd brought the useless trinket to her. As she stood over him, however, a thought came to her. At first she was disturbed by the notion, but it quickly took hold in her mind. Hanyou. Half-human, half-youkai. Their lives and bodies last for centuries... but they were still part human...

To this day, as far as she knew, no other human has survived a blood transfusion from a hanyou donor. She knew the risks when she set out, but her obsession was too great for her to back down now. It turned out that she was actually very lucky. The hanyou's human genome coded for the same blood-type as her own, allowing the transfusion to take. As a result, she looked to be about 30 years old, despite being in her late eighties.

The problem with obtaining your dreams, though, is what comes next? She had the jewel, which was certainly valuable monetarily. She had beauty and youth. Now she also had a burning drive to dominate. Perhaps it was the inu youkai blood or perhaps it was the next logical step; regardless, that was the beginning of her career in the teeming underbelly of high-crime.

She worked her way up the ladders of the crime rings, slowly gaining foot-holds in all the major sectors. Drugs, prostitution, embezzlement, gambling, black market--you name it and she was there. As she moved from Japan to China, Russia, Italy, and finally America, her empire of crime moved with her. It was only natural that she wind up as the reigning Queen of Las Vegas. The city suited her perfectly in both personality and appearance. For safety's sake, though, she rarely left her penthouse/office. She'd even gone so far as to have an entire casino built with the sole purpose of being her new center of operations. It was opening night, tonight, and she'd felt an unusual restlessness in accompaniment. Something was going to happen tonight, and it was going to be _big_.

There came another knock, this time slightly more urgent. She allowed a momentary flicker of annoyance before pushing the button for admittance. The door unlocked audibly and one of her hired goons stepped in, bowing respectfully and waiting for permission to speak.

"What is it that has you so agitated?" she asked scornfully. It was unusual for staff to speak to her personally. They almost always went through her secretary.

The large man flinched at the tone of her voice but responded politely. "Ma'am, it's in regards to item 33-D. You said that you wanted to be alerted immediately and personally if such a person were identified."

She turned sharply to look at the man's face. This was top-secret. If he knew about this order, he was trusted by someone that she trusted. "Well?" she demanded when he didn't continue.

"Yes. Ma'am, the girl appears to be about 22 or 23 years old. She is currently not registered with us at the hotel. She fits the description and I have personally verified this information. If you wish, I will bring her..."

"Is she alone?" she cut in quickly. This guy seemed quite competent, but that was no guarantee. It would be foolish to let her guard down so easily after waiting for so long for a person like this.

"Ah, no, Ma'am. She is with a hanyou."

"WHAT?" she screeched. It was a long standing rule of hers--hanyou were always troublesome, either directly or indirectly. That a 33-D had one with her did not bode well. Unfortunately, her strong instincts told her that this combination should not be left un-investigated. She silently regained her composure before turning to the wall and pressing a switch. As the wall slid away, hundreds of screens appeared. Each one seemed to be attached to some area of surveillance and each was equipped with the highest quality screens and immaculate resolution. She could count the sequins on any dress from the comfort of her lair. "Where are they currently?" she asked as calmly as she could manage.

"Yes, Ma'am. They went straight to the roulette high-limit table and have been there for nearly an hour. At first, she seemed to not be interested in gambling, but then they argued and she started playing. Apparently he had lost nearly five hundred thousand before she started playing." Her eyes went up at that. This hanyou had money to burn and obviously wasn't afraid to attract attention to himself. "After she joined the table, though," he coughed uncomfortably, "their luck seems to have changed. Their winnings are currently up to 2.5 million."

She nearly lost her balance on that one. 2.5 million?! What sort of monster was this girl? "Bring her in. The hanyo, as well. I want them here in 15 minutes."

He bowed again before leaving. "Yes, Lady Kikyo."

---

"What do you mean, I can't come in?" the wind demon was livid. She had planned to sweep in and make a grand entrance, striking fear into the foolish hanyou. She was startled when she discovered that there was a waiting line--just to get _in_ to the place where her prey lay unaware. When she'd finally gotten to the front of the line, however, a large man in a tux and shades held out a hand to prevent her from entering.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. You are not appropriately dressed. This is a black-tie event and formal wear is required. Please move aside." She looked at him with profound disgust and grabbed him by the lapel of his tux jacket. She took a small satisfaction in the shocked expression he wore as she pulled him off balance.

"Look, you big ape. This is a 200 year old silk kimono. It is worth more than your whole family makes in a year. How the hell is this not formal?!" she snarled quietly at him.

It took him a moment to regain his control and he had the courtesy to at least look embarrassed, too. He straightened his jacket, though, and plastered the impassiveness back across his chiseled face. "I'm sorry, ma'am. While your ah, dress, is pretty, it is not included in the parameters outlined by the owner of this establishment. If you wish to enter, please speak to the concierge and you will be escorted to a suitable clothier."

"And where might one find this concierge?" she grated slowly.

With a straight face he pointed to the side, "You see that line...?"

---

"Lord Sesshomaru, we should be landing shortly!" Rin screamed over the roar of the helicopter. After landing, aside from a prepped chopper and two aspirin, the inu youkai was greeted with information. They were going to land of the roof of the casino run by mobster and ex-girlfriend of Inu Yasha, the infamous Lady Kikyo. He was not afraid of the woman, by any means, but he was not foolish enough to barge into a dangerous person's stronghold to fight a personal battle. True, he had the four stooges to act as hostages to fall back on if need be, but one was of demon blood, even if it was a weaker strand of wolf. Only the human female and the male she was mated to seemed intelligent enough to know the dangers of their situation.

_Just wait, Inu Yasha. Tonight all will be settled._

---

Kagome had lost her shoes at some point. Inu Yasha marvelled at this--she hadn't moved from this spot since he'd brought her to the table, but somehow, both of her thousand-dollar shoes had disappeared. She seemed to either not notice, not care, or simply enjoyed being barefoot and continued to win obscene amounts of money. He was right about one thing, they were definitely getting noticed.

Four muscles were heading their way, one with a hand pressed to his earpiece and issuing quiet commands to the others. Inu Yasha forced himself to fight his instincts to run. They _wanted_to be caught, he reminded himself firmly. He turned as casually as he could and took Kagome gently by the arm. He leaned over to whisper in her ear.

("Don't panic. It looks like our plan is working. Some men are coming over to get us. Don't worry and don't fight it. Just follow my lead, alright?")

"Hm, what plan?" she blurted loudly, attracting the attention of the entire table. Kagome's subtlety button seemed to have been broken. He forced himself to smile and laugh lightly.

"Oh, don't be silly, _honey_! The _plans _we had for dinner! Remember? What other plans could we possibly have?" he prompted her. Her eyes were trying to focus as she processed what he said. She seemed to catch on as a big goofy smile crept across her face. In a loud, slurred whisper, she leaned into him and said, "Oke-dokey-smokey!" and giggled wickedly before loosing her balance and nearly tumbling over. Only his supreme reflexes allowed him to catch her before she fell and hit her head for the second time that day.

"Whoopsies," she muttered as he lifted and tried to steady her. His hand slid around her waist to support her from a more centralized location. Kagome looked at the clawed hand now at her waist and followed it back to the concerned hanyou. He watched her eyes turned from glazed to slightly coherent. She seemed to be coming out of the worst of the alcohol and regaining some of her self control.

...or so he thought until she kissed him.

He was not the romantic type by any stretch of the imagination. He'd never been comfortable kissing--it was too _personal_. The few kisses he'd had in the past were usually chaste and of necessity, not passion. As such, he was totally unprepared for this kiss. This was more than just personal. Her lips told him that this was a confession as well as a challenge.

Alcohol did wonders for Kagome's inhibition, it seemed. Her lips weren't the only thing she was using. Her entire being was being poured into her attack. He thought that was just a little unfair.

As she leaned into him and wrapped her small arms around his stiff neck, he felt himself shutting down. There was so much in this contact... so much emotion and feeling... he immediately tried to disconnect from it. He learned long ago that feelings can only get hurt, so its best to not use them. But when he tried to pull away, this mere human somehow managed to overpower him. When she put her lips to his, the sheer depth and nakedness of her feelings for him effectively destroyed his last barriers. While a part of him felt broken and defeated, there was a much larger and stronger force overriding all thoughts and all other feelings.

Just as it seemed that she was giving up on his returning her feelings, Inu Yasha wrapped his other arm around Kagome and pulled her deeper into the kiss. He couldn't deny it any more. He couldn't even try. She had beaten him so profoundly, that it would be an insult to pretend she hadn't won. He loved her. For all the weaknesses and for all the frustration, he still loved her. And it was time to let her know it.

It might have gone even farther if it hadn't been for the large and noisy crowd which gathered around the passionate couple. After a particularly loud and shrill whistle, Inu Yasha finally released a very mussed Kagome. When he managed to break the smoldering hold of her eyes, he realized everyone within twenty feet had been watching them.

Turning red, he tried to think of something witty to say, but only managed, "...Oh, you meant _those_ plans!"

---

Kikyo was not used to jealousy. It was an emotion saved for those who did not have what they wanted, and as such, Kikyo had rarely felt the green-eyed monster. As she stared at the tiny screen showing a dark-haired Asian girl locked in an embarrassingly passionate kiss with a familiar hanyou, Kikyo knew her earlier premonition had been dead on. Hanyou were nothing but trouble. Especially _this _one. She would know; she had shot him in the chest over 50 years ago only to see him again, now, making out in **her** casino with the very girl she'd been waiting for. She was alone at the moment, and allowed herself an indulgence.

"Shit!"

---

_They always play the same music..._Kagme mused as they rode in the elevator. Despite it's large and luxurious size, the four large men escorting them took up a considerable amount of room. Inu Yasha had placed himself protectively in front of her before the doors had even closed. Another wave of warmth ran from her toes up to her scalp. She didn't remember much of the last hour or so, and she was grateful for that. She was even _more_ thankful that she _did_remember a certain hanyou's reaction to her advances. She bit her lip to keep from squeeling in glee. Kagome was not usually prone to giddiness, but she assumed that between the concussion, the drinks and that amazing kiss, she was entitled to be giddy.

After what seemed to take forever, the elevator came to a gentle halt and they filed silently out of the elevator. Another wave of coherent thought crested within Kagome, corresponding with another kind of wave starting in her stomach and rising to the top of her throat. _Ugh. Why do people do this to themselves?_ she thought bitterly. She was beginning to feel nervous again about what was coming next. She still didn't know what his plan was--or even if he actually had one. She was sober enough to understand that she was being kept in the dark for whatever reason and would just have to trust him.

They stopped before a set of plain double-doors. Kagome tried to peer curiously over Inu Yasha's shoulder, but tripped on her dress again. At some point she had lost her shoes, so now her dress was three inches too long for her. It made her feel like a little girl playing dress-up. She barely was able to stifle the giggle this time. When the doors opened, however, Kagome felt the atmosphere change. Inu Yasha was tense, like he knew what was coming--and it wasn't going to be easy. That was not a good sign.

When they gently began to pull her to one side and a different set of doors, panic began to set in. She looked to Inu Yasha but felt her fear give way to hurt when she saw that he was ignoring this new development. He knew what was happening and he hadn't warned her. That was _definitely_ not a good sign.

---

Kagome was sitting in what must be an interrogation room. The walls were completely blank and broken only by a two-way mirror. The desk and chairs where she had been deposited were utilitarian. After a moment one of the guards returned with a packet of paper and a pen. He sat down across from Kagome without looking at her or speaking and sharply clicked the pen open.

"Now, ma'am. You are hereby interviewing for position 33-D. Name, please." He waited, pen poised over the blank page, ready to take down whatever may come out of Kagome's mouth.

Kagome's mouth, however, was busy hanging open in shock and confusion.

"33-D? What the _hell_ is that?"

He looked confused. "That is classified." He cleared his throat and searched for his place in what obviously was a memorized script. "Ah, um... Name, please." He resumed his previous position, waiting for Kagome's cooperation. Unfortunately, these people did not know who they were dealing with. Quite frankly, Kagome wasn't even sure who she was dealing with--this was the first time she'd felt so bold in her entire life! And she kind of liked it.

"Alrighty, buddy! You listen and you listen good! I don't know what's going on here, but I don't think that I'm that kind of girl, you know what I mean?" she said beligerently. "I wanna know what's going on here! I had a hot table down there! I was having fun! Then you come and yank me away--you even took my _date_ away--and now you tell me that I'm applying for a job that sounds like a bra-size?! I don't think so--" she groped to find an offensive name to call the man, but could only come up with, "..._Sally_!"

The large man seemed totally unprepared for this response. He looked around uncomfortably, as if to make sure no one was watching, and leaned over the table. Kagome could see that he was trembling visibly. He motioned for her to lean in, too, and looked around again to make sure no one was looking. He swallowed hard and whispered, "How did you know my name was Sally?"

---

Okay, maybe she kinda went overboard.

Kagura casually stepped over a broken body, careful to keep the hem of her kimono out of the sticky blood. Most of the survivors had already fled the lobby of the casino--those that could still flee, that is. Technically, this was a serious no-no in the demon world. Humanity largely allowed the unmolested existence of the youkai so long as there was no great threat. Kagura's temper tantrum was going to cause a lot of problems if she wasn't careful. Actually, she mused, this could work out to her advantage...

If she worked quickly enough, she might just be able to tell the police about how she was able to subdue the terrible hanyou that went on a killing spree....

---

Sally was crying now. Kagome patted his hand sympathetically, nodding and looking for all the world like she knew exactly what the man was talking about. He gave a particularly violent sob and shouted in anguish, "I just wanted to feel _pretty_!"

Things were definitely going downhill. If she really concentrated, she knew she could figure out a plan. "Now Sally! You stop this. Just take a deep breath with me." She held her hands in front of her, moving them in exaggerated motions encouraging the hiccuping man to follow her lead. After a few of these breaths, it seemed to be working. Kagome felt more confident and decided to press her luck.

"Sally, just between us girls, I think that you have been fooling yourself, honey. You need to do something for _you_! Tell you what we're gonna do: we'll finish up this silly paper work and you'll take me back out there. Then you go on your break and you go get yourself a nice pedicure--it always makes me feel better."

Sally nodded, sniffled loudly and smiled shyly. "Thanks. You know, a nice girl like you shouldn't be here. I'll tell Lady Kikyo that you're not right for the job, after all!" he said delightedly.

Kagome beamed at him. "Thank you, Sally. I don't think I'm right for--wait, what was this job anyway?" she demanded exasperatedly.

"Oh, 33-D. Body-double for the boss."

Kagome stared at him in horror. "WHAT?!"

---

Kikyo was putting the finishing touches to her make-up when they told her that her guests had arrived. She had planned to meet them in her business attire: tailored suit and sexy stilettos. After watching the... _chemistry_ between them, however, she decided the kimono was better. It was hand-made for her--back in the 1920s, actually--and had cost her nearly a hundred thousand back then. He'd remember it, no doubt. She knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't be here unless it was to see her. He had a lot of nerve to come crawling to her for a favor--with some tramp in tow nonetheless. And that he brought _this particular_ tramp was beyond insulting.

She was examining her reflection when her secretary came in with that look on her face. It was the look that always preceded bad news. "My Lady," she began politely, "we have guests."

Kikyo breathed in relief. "Yes, I know. I'll be there in a moment." The pained expression on her secretary's face said that there was a catch.

"Actually, my Lady, these are new guests. Lord Sesshomaru of New York and a few others landed on the roof's Helli-pad a moment ago."

Kikyo stared in disbelief. The great inu youkai, Sesshomaru, here, tonight? Then it clicked. _Both brothers here tonight, hmm? And they both want to see little old me?_

"Shit." Kikyo muttered as she brushed past her startled assistant and went out to get to the bottom of things.

---

Shortly after learning about 33-D, Sally escorted her back to where they were keeping Inu Yasha. He seemed to be fascinated by the magazine article he was reading, conveniently, so she couldn't get his attention with out alerting the other guards. There was a bar here, though, and Kagome suddenly felt that a round or two of liquid courage might be in order here.

They were in this large office overlooking the lights of Las Vegas when a new door flew open. A woman in a fabulous kimono came out and Kagome began to think that the drinks she'd had earlier were watered down compared to the drinks up here. On this woman... It was _her_ face! Ooh, but her face seemed really angry. But Kagome didn't feel angry. This was all very perplexing. Suddenly one of the large men who had escorted them here cleared his throat.

"Ahem. Ms. Higurashi?"

Kagome was really confused when she heard her other face respond at the same time she did. The man seemed as confused as she and her reflection did. He shook his head as if to clear the confusion and tried again. "No, I'm sorry, I meant _that _Ms. Higurashi--"

Kagome interrupted him, "Oh, can you see it, too? That makes me feel much better," she laughed in relief. The poor man only looked even more confused and slightly distressed. He turned to Kagome's reflection and said, "My Lady..." as if pleading for intervention. Kagome was shocked to hear the other her speak sharply, "Enough!"

The look on the other face was not one Kagome had ever worn. Kagome felt her neck hairs stand on end and a cold sweat suddenly appeared on her forehead. The last time she'd been in a presence like this one was in that horrible jail cell with the wind demon. But this was _her_face! And she was definitely not a demon... It felt like the room was beginning to spin now, and Kagome had trouble keeping her eyes open. Those waves were coming back again, threatening to crash over her head.

She remembered feeling Inu Yasha's strong hands catching her and the sensation of falling, but nothing else.

---

Thankfully, after Kagome fainted, Kikyo pretended to be busy with her hired goon and allowed Inu Yasha to make sure the girl was settled on a sofa in the lounge and covered her with his tux jacket. After she had spoken briefly with the man, Kikyo turned her full attention on Inu Yasha.

She had turned on her seduce-o-riffic switch while he wasn't looking. He was afraid this was going to happen. He tried to mollify her before she got too worked up. "Kikyo... listen--" But she cut him off with a finger to his lips. Her body was definitely too close to his. He fought to maintain control over his mind--this was how she had always manipulated him in the past. She looked up at him through her dangerous eyelashes and purred as she spoke.

"Extraordinary. You just so _happen_ to still be alive. You just so _happen_to be in my casino on opening night." To an ordinary man, it may have sounded like Kikyo was actually glad to see him again. Inu Yasha, however, knew Kikyo well enough to know that his life was seriously in danger. As she counted off his offenses, her gaze grew more intense and she began to circle her prey.

"You just so _happen_ to be with a young human girl who just so _happens_to have the Higurashi family name and _**just so happens to look like my own reflection**_!" Her face was beginning to turn red now, and he knew that if he didn't step in now, things were going to really get ugly.

Smiling as charmingly as he could manage he held out his arms in a gesture he knew would annoy her and said, "Did you miss me?"

---

This was way too easy... Sango knew that something was up from the moment this random youkai said that he wanted to help them rescue Kagome. The problem was that the demon had been very helpful and at least not openly hostile towards them. Judging from his hair and eyes and god-like good looks, she was fairly certain this was a relative of their quarry. Inu Yasha, it seemed, had done enough to garner a personal visit from this Sesshomaru guy and as far as Sango was concerned, they would probably be used as hostages if the situation turned ugly. If this guy knew where to find Inu Yasha, he certainly knew that Kagome was with him. And since a certain genius in their group had told a complete stranger the _entire_story, Sesshomaru knew exactly who they were, too.

After they had landed on the roof of a huge casino but before they had a chance to really get their bearings, a group of armed and especially large men appeared and pointed all sorts of bad things at the motley crew. Before anyone could stop him, though, Hojo had stepped forward, trying to explain the situation as he had to Rin, only to get a face full of pepper-spray. These people were certainly cautious and not stupid enough to permanently injure an intruder before interrogations began.

Hojo screamed for a while as the chemicals did their work, so there were a few uncomfortable minutes before Sesshomaru could send Rin to barter safe passage and a meeting with Kikyo. Miroku and Koga each took one of Hojo's arms and carried their fallen comrade onwards.

---

It was odd. Inu Yasha had been afraid of what he might feel; seeing Kikyo again after all these years. Smelling her perfume and seeing her in that damn kimono. He waited for his heart to leap into his throat or his stomach to drop to his shoes but nothing happened. He smirked. He didn't feel anything for her anymore. That could have doomed the whole plan, if he was still under Kikyo's spell. Funny how a guy tends to lose interest in a gal after being shot in the chest.

Sure, it had surprised him the first time he say Kagome--but she had been staring at Inu Yasha, too, so he never really made an issue of it. Even though these two women had almost identical faces, he was not fooled. And now he knew that everything was gonna work.

---

Kikyo was watching him smile to himself. Apparently, just because he didn't fall to pieces over one weak attempt at seduction, he thought he'd already won . Kikyo decided to disabuse him of that particular illusion. "Alright. So what's the deal, Inu Yasha?"

He looked away innocently. "What do you mean? I just _happened_ to be in Vegas and just _happened_ to decide to have a little fun..."

"Don't bother. I know you've got the sword now and that Sesshomaru will come to kill you and take it back. Oh, so you didn't think I'd put two and two together, hm?" His face blanched and she smiled softly. "Your brother landed on my roof not even five minutes ago, incidentally. Tell me, why shouldn't I just hand you over and be done with it? While I'm not afraid of Sesshomaru, it would really upset my lawyer to interfere in some demon family feud."

He looked a little unsure of himself for a moment before putting on his macho-mantle again. "Keh. You won't do that."

"Oh?" She lifted an eyebrow in curiosity.

He seemed unruffled. "Oh yeah. No way that'd happen."

Through clenched teeth she calmly asked, "Why do you say that?"

He smiled in response. "Because, Kikyo, if nothing else I know you. I know you're curious as to why I'm here--not just the sword, but why I came to see _you_. And because I know you hate your lawyer almost as much as he hates you, and that you'd never miss a chance to piss him off and create more red tape for him to deal with. You've got everything you've ever wanted, Kikyo. It's only these petty amusements that you have left to spice things up." He flashed her a cocky smile. "And because you can't stand the fact that I've found someone who's younger and prettier than you are--someone who won't shoot me after she gets what she wants." He ended flatly.

She struggled to keep her temper. "Interesting assessment. What if you're wrong?"

He shrugged. "I'm not wrong. You didn't want me before, but now that _I've_ rejected _you_, you can't stand not having me in the palm of your hand."

"This is why people want to shoot you," she informed him.

"Stop, you're making me blush."

"Alright, Inu Yasha. Quit yanking my chain. What-do-you-want-from-me?"

He looked her up and down, slowly, and raised a suggestive eyebrow. "I thought we knew each other better than that."

"You are such an asshole, do you know that?" she flared at him. "I know you're up to something, and you're not telling me. Now what is it?!"

He put out his lower lip and gave her puppy eyes. "Kikyo! Babe! You've got to learn to trust people a little!"

Kikyo spat an expletive at him.

"This is why people don't like you, Kikyo."

---

A man bowed as he entered and addressed the seated group. "We apologize for the delay. Ms. Higurashi will be with you momentarily."

While Sesshomaru, Rin and Koga seemed unaffected by this, Sango and Miroku snapped to attention. "What?!" Sangoyelled. "What do you mean, Ms. Higurashi?"

"Please, Sango-san, be calm." Rin said cheerfully. "I'm sure Ms. Higurashi is very busy right now. We must be patient."

"No, that's... I mean, what about Kagome?!"

Rin's smile thinned a little. "All in good time. First, we'll wait to see Ms. Higurashi."

"But... but..." Sango began. Tears of frustration welled in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" asked Koga. He turned to look inquiringly to Miroku, who looked just as confused as his girlfriend did. Hojo, however, seemed unaffected. Koga leaned over and whispered to him, "What's got them so worked up?"

Hojo whispered back, "It's very frustrating right now, Koga-kun. We're so close to getting her back that they don't want to wait to see her."

"What about you? Don't you want to see her?"

Hojo smiled weakly. "Of course I want to see her. At the moment, though, I can't even see you clearly. The pepper spray is making it difficult to focus my eyes."

"Oh, right. Sorry. But I still don't see what the problem is. It sounds to me like we've got to see this Higurashi chick first, right?"

"Kagome's family name is Higurashi, Koga-kun." Hojo gave him a look of pity. Koga resented that. It was like having a child call you immature.

"Wait a minute," Koga mused. "Why would we have to wait to see Kagome, and what's up with the staff? Why does it sound like she owns the place? What's she doing here?" his questions came faster and became more urgent. "What's going on, here?" Koga shouted.

Rin and Sesshomaru turned their heads towards the source of the commotion. Koga was standing now, holding the human Hojo in a choke-hold and administering a nougie. Rin turned to her employer with a sad look, "What's got them so worked up?"

---

Inu Yasha turned away from Kikyo, so that she couldn't see him hiding a smile. "It's quite simple. You have something that I need." Privately, Inu Yasha couldn't help but feel a little like a suave super-spy like James Bond.

"Oh get over yourself, Inu Yasha. You're not Bond," she snapped irritably. She always seemed to see through him. "And what makes you think that even if I do have what you need, that I would let you have it?"

He turned to face her and smiled genuinely. "Because, Kikyo... you _owe_ me. Big time. And I know your secret. You think that living hidden away from the world will keep people from knowing what you did? You've already been around for over 90 years, babe. You haven't aged a day--you're _welcome_, by the way--and you know that rumors are already starting that you may not be... natural..." His smile was gone now and he advanced slowly on her, driving his point in gradually but emphatically. He was driving her into a corner--both literally and metaphorically.

"Kikyo. Listen. I _know_ that you've got my blood in you. I _know _that you've moved from country to country, trying to keep it a secret. You're stuck, Kikyo. Nobody is dumb enough to not figure out something's not natural when you don't age at all in 15 years. So you run away. You went through so much to be young and beautiful forever, but what good is it if you have to hide it? You can't stay in one place forever without giving away your secret. If you let people know what you did, though, they'll reject you. And that's the one thing you can't stand. And _that's _why you're going to help me. Because I can help you."

There was a mad look of desperation when she turned to him. "How?! How can you help me?"

Inu Yasha turned to look over his shoulder at Kagome's form. "Trust me. I've got a plan." The look she gave him was filled with shock and scorn. Before she could respond, though, he looked her straight in the eye and asked plainly, "Hey, I promised you I'd find the jewel and I did. You know that I make good on my promises. So... do you trust me?"

She was against the wall, a few reluctant tears trailing down her cheeks telling him he was right. A wave of pity came over him. Quietly, she spoke, "What do you want?"

"Kikyo..." he said gently. "Kikyo, I am sorry," he wiped a tear away and turned her to face him. "Is your lawyer here? I need to see Naraku. He's the only thing in this world more evil than that damn Fluffy."

She laughed weakly and pulled a small cell phone from her obi. She pressed a single button and issued a brief command before putting it away again and turning to face Inu Yasha once more. "He's on his way. I will stall your brother for as long as I can."

---

There was a buzz at the speaker by the door. One of the guards pressed a button and listened for a moment before nodding and turning back to the group. "Ms. Higurashi will see you now."

The doors opened. Koga caught his breath when he saw her. She was even more beautiful than he remembered. There was a steel about her--a determined pride. He felt his pulse quicken. There was no doubt about it, Kagome was the only one who could ever be his mate. Before he could say anything though, Hojo had lept to his feet and dashed to kneel in front of her.

"Higurashi-san! This time without you has been the most painful of my life! Please! I beg of you, come home with me to Japan! I will make you the happiest bride in the whole world!"

There was a moment of shocked silence. No one seemed willing to be the first to speak, but finally Sango took pity on the kneeling man and quitely came over to where he was. Without a word, she took him by the shoulders and turned him away from the shocked body guard to face the woman in the kimono. She patted him sympathetically on the arm before straightening again and looking closely at the woman's face.

"Ms. Higurashi?" she asked politely.

"Yes," the woman responded coldly.

"Ah. Please excuse me." Sango bowed shortly and returned to her seat. Miroku and Koga gaped at her while poor Hojo seemed to be lost in the moment or frozen in embarassment at proposing to a man.

The woman ignored all the strange behavior. "I am Higurashi Kikyo. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Lord Sesshomaru. What can I do for you today?"

---

"Well, I guess that pretty much covers it." Inu Yasha breathed in relief. "Thanks for all your help, Naraku. I'd always heard that you were kind of a prick, but you seem like an okay guy to me," he smiled and offered a hand to shake. The pale man had long, dark hair, the top half of which he slicked back into a greasy pony tail. His tailored suit was complimentary shades of deep blue and voilet. Inu Yasha couldn't be certain, but it almost looked like he was wearing a little eye shadow, too...

"...Was this the only reason I was called?" he asked coldly. Inu Yasha was startled by the abrupt answer.

"Yeah. So?"

Naraku began to pack up his note pads and books without response. Inu Yasha sat up straight in his chair. "Oi! What's your problem?"

"I am not some stupid hanyou. I understand the implications of this situation. Do not offend me."

Inu Yasha blinked a few times as this settled in. "Hey! I'm not stupid!"

Naraku gave him a withering look. "Oh. Pardon-e-moi. So you _do_know that your brother never even had a claim on the Tessaiga?" Inu Yasha blinked again. "And you also knew that even _if_Sesshomaru had the sword that he would never be able to weild it?" Before he even had a chance to look confused again, Naraku pressed on. "And I wouldn't insult you by assuming you didn't realize that Sesshomaru was left a sword of his own, the Tensaiga, which, incidentally, is about three times more valuable than the Tessaiga."

They stared at each other across the table in silence for a long time.

"Alright. I just have one more question for you."

Naraku's eyes narrowed. "What?" he spat contemptuously.

With a perfectly straight face, Inu Yasha said, "Can you repeat that?"

---

"Lady Kikyo. I understand that you have another guest tonight." Sesshomaru said calmly from his seat.

"Yes, your brother is here," she replied, equally as calm.

"How much time did you promise him?" he asked politely.

"Oh, I don't like to give specifics, really." She turned from him to look at the rest of the group. "Interesting. I had understood that the only human company you kept was that of your secretary."

"Ah. A coincidence, I assure you."

"Mm." She turned to Hojo and quickly dismissed him, turning instead to Sango. "What coincidence brings you here, young lady?"

"It's a long story, ma'am."

"Interesting." A thought came to Kikyo and she looked back over her shoulder. "Was there some kind of _misunderstanding_ with the young man over there?"

They all looked uncomfortably at one another. Finally, Miroku spoke. "Forgive us. Its just that you look strikingly similar to our lost companion, Kagome. We came here in pursuit after she was kidnapped by a hanyou, Inu Yasha, in New York."

"...So her name is Kagome..." she said quietly to herself. "Kidnapped, you say?" She thought back to the terrible image of the floozy making out with the hanyou. "I think you'd better tell me the whole story," she said firmly.

---

"So what you're saying is that, legally, I am the sole inheritor of my father's possessions and assets?"

Naraku looked at him with the utmost contempt. "Duh."

---

Kikyo tried to summarize the story. "So your friend, Kagome _Higurashi_, disappeared with the hanyou Inu Yasha and you've just now caught up with them, supposedly, here?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Well, well, well. What a coincidence."

Rin chirped, "We _told_ you so!"

---

"I'll speak slowly and use little words: The will left everything to you. Do you understand now?"

"...but what about Fluffy?"

Naraku cracked his neck in a quick, fluid movement, closed his eyes, inhaled and exhaled deeply before addressing Inu Yasha again. "Sesshomaru cut all ties with your father after he remarried, you clot! That means that he is no longer legally considered to be part of your family! There isn't anyone else who _legally_ is tied to your father! You could actually sue _him_ for using _your_ money to run his business! Do you understand?!"

"Oh. When you put it that way, yeah, sure. But how come nobody else figured this out?"

"Have you ever _asked _anyone else?" Naraku asked acidly.

Inu Yasha thought for a moment. "No, not really."

---

As she tried to tidy-up her hair in the elevator door's reflection, Kagura thought to herself, _They always play the same music..._

---

"Enough chatter." Sesshomaru stood. "I will go now and take back what is rightfully mine."

"What's he talking about?" Hojo asked. The boy had been quiet since the embarrassing proposal earlier and had been sitting in the corner during the conversation.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about it too much, boy." Kikyo said smugly. "He's about to get a nasty surprise, that's all."

The great inu youkai froze and turned slightly to hear what she was getting at.

"He came here to take something from his little brother, but he'll leave with much less than that. Inu Yasha should be just about through with his meeting now. Go ahead, Lord Sesshomaru. I think you'll be interested to hear what my lawyer and your half brother were able to come up with."

For the first time, Sesshomaru flinched. "... Naraku is here...?"

Kikyo smiled and nodded.

"Rin."

She jumped to attention with a salute. "Yessir!"

"We are leaving."

"Very good, sir!"

---

As the elevator doors began to slowly open, Kagura began to gather her power in anticipation of what was coming. She was finally going to get revenge on Inu Yasha. After all these years, all the humiliation, she was going to settle the score once and for all. Stepping out into the lobby of the top floor, however, Kagura began to realize that she probably should have done a little more recon before charging in here.

There were several doors, all equally unremarkable and indistinguishable. This was like finding a maze instead of the pot of gold for the demon, but it was of no real significance, she told herself firmly. All she had to do was ask the wind where the mutt was. She sent out her thoughts, looking for the scent of half-blood. After a moment, she felt her confidence shatter.

She wasn't the only demon here, it seemed.

Also there was more than one person here with impure blood.

There were about half a dozen humans... no... more. There were more humans, but they weren't here yet--they were coming. These new humans reeked of gun-powder. _Shit! Cops! I've got to finish this and fast! _Kagura sent out her thoughts again, desperately trying to locate Inu Yasha.

The demon was on the move now--and it was headed her way. Judging by the scent, this was an extraordinarily powerful youkai...

Kagura bit her lip and made a new plan. The demon was headed this way... Muttering to herself bitterly, Kagura of the Wind quickly ran and hid behind the bar, praying that Inu Yasha couldn't see her now.

---

Sesshomaru was not accustomed to waiting. The helicopter on which they had arrived had since departed. Thus, once more was the great inu youkai to be subjected to the humiliation of human public transportation. He and his secretary were in the lobby of Kikyo's ridiculous lair, waiting for the elevator to arrive.

When the doors finally opened, however, he was greeted not by an empty chamber but rather six well-armed S.W.A.T. team members.

"FREEZE!" One of them ordered and they all immediately pointed their guns at an unimpressed Sesshomaru.

"Rin."

"Yessir!" his secretary saluted. She turned to the still hostile but now confused S.W.A.T. members and began reciting in her soprano and sugary-sweet voice. "You have threatened the great and terrible Lord Sesshomaru-sama! In his infinite mercy, he has granted you amnesty for thirty seconds before chastisement is to be administered. If you wish to plea your case in that time, so be it. If you wish to keep your pathetic and insignificant life, however, immediate removal of your offensive presence is suggested! Thank you! Thirty seconds beginning..." she looked at her watch. "...Nnnnnow!"

The men faltered. One bolted for the emergency exit stairwell while two others looked around for orders. The one who called for the inital charge, however, remained firm. "Sir! There has been a report of demon terrorist attacks here in the hotel, sir! We have seen the carnage ourselves and are charged with bringing the rogue demon responsible to justice, sir!"

As he paused to breathe, Rin interjected, "15 seconds!" He flicked an uncertain glance in her direction before turning to Sesshomaru. "Sir. If you were not responsible, do you have an alibi or any information on possible suspects in this area?"

Rin began the final countdown. "TEN... NINE... EIGHT... SEVEN... SIX..." she walked quickly to the opposite side of the room and plugged her ears with her fingers. "FIVE... FOUR... THREEEEEEEE..." Sesshomaru lifted one graceful hand, and Rin stopped counting.

After a minute of silence, Sesshomaru allowed himself a tiny smirk. "Human. Speak with the lady Kikyo for my alibi. As for the suspect, I believe you will find her hiding shamefully behind that bar over there..."

There was a sudden "EEK!" from behind the counter.

---

It was a very emotional scene when Sango, Miroku and the others were finally brought back to Inu Yasha and Kagome. She still had not fully regained consciousness yet, though she was trying, so Inu Yasha knew there'd be much more to come.

Surprisingly, the one to take the first swing at Inu Yasha wasn't Sango or even Koga, but Hojo. Of course he was still partially blinded from the pepper spray, but no one really thought he could have hit the hanyou even without the handicap. "Who's the runt?" Inu Yasha asked after catching the off-balance human.

Koga sighed and came to reclaim Hojo. He turned to Inu Yasha after slinging the wimpering human over his shoulder and stared for a moment, sizing him up. Uncomfortably, Inu Yasha finally said, "You wanna kiss me or what?"

Koga just smirked and shook his head. He put Hojo down next to Miroku and straightened before addressing the room.

"You win, dog-boy," was all he said before turning and walking to where Kikyo was standing, observing, in the corner. When he stopped in front of her, he kneeled, much as a samurai before a shogun. "My lady..." he began emotionally. "My lady. I am overcome by your beauty and your presence. Please, allow me to serve you in whatever small capacity I may."

There was a moment of stunned silence as they took in Koga's formal request.

Kikyo looked down regally at the kneeling demon. "You would... you _want_ me?" Inu Yasha looked up sharply at the tone in her voice. He'd only heard it once or twice since meeting her. This was real emotion--Kikyo! Showing pure emotion!

Koga, it seemed, was also overcome by his emotions. He tried to look up, it seemed, but kept his head bowed. "Yes, my lady. I never wish to be separated from you."

There was a soft cry from behind him and Inu Yasha turned again to see the new source of emotions. He saw Sango looking uncomfortable as Miroku held a gently weeping Hojo. After a particularly loud sob, Hojo exclaimed, "That is _so_ romantic!" and broke down again. Miroku patted his back, muttering, "There, there..." and looking to his girlfriend for help. Sango sighed and shook her head. She looked at the pair across the room, lost in their newfound bonds and then to the weeping Hojo being helped to his feet by her own bewildered boyfriend. Finally she looked at Kagome's sleepy, smiling face and then to Inu Yasha.

"Let's go home," was all she said. Inu Yasha chose not to push his luck and simply nodded before gently helping the now mumbling Kagome to her feet. He couldn't completely understand what she was saying, but she was being awfully affectionate. They walked slowly to the elevator and pushed the button before he turned back to face Kikyo one last time.

"Well, Kikyo, it was lovely seeing you again." Inu Yasha said urbanely.

"Don't lie. I never want to see you again and I'm sure the feeling is mutual," she snapped. A thought seemed to come to Kikyo. "You promised you would help me..." she began.

He held up one hand. "Keh. I told you to trust me. Check your mail. You'll see." He winked at her and lead the group into the elevator. As the doors slid closed he called out, "See you on the big screen!"

---

Kagome's head was pounding. Her mouth tasted like the wrong end and the small amount of light in the room pierced her eyes.

As she sat up slowly, she gingerly looked around. She was in a hotel room... A figure was leaning against the large window to the right of her bed. The figure was pulling back the curtains and watching the city lights below.

"Inu Yasha?" she muttered softly. The figure at the window turned quickly and crossed to her bedside. Even in the dim lighting of the room, she could see the concern written on his face. But she was so confused... the last thing she remembered... "What happened?" It seemed like such a cliche thing to say, but it was all she could think of in her present condition.

He smiled softly. "A lot."

"Oh, okay. Good to know," she said sarcastically. "Tell me..." she whined softly.

"In the morning. You need your sleep." He swept her bangs to one side and kissed her forehead gently.

"No fair. You're being really sweet." Kagome protested weakly as he pressed her shoulders down, laying her head back onto her pillow.

"Keh. I know. Don't get used to it, this is a special occasion."

"What's a special occasion?" she asked between yawns.

"Our wedding night, of course." He kissed her cheek softly and turned off the light.

"Oh, right..." she said sleepily. "...WHAT?!"

---

THE END

---

A/N: There will be an epilogue, tying up loose ends, so don't worry about that. If you happen to have a request, I'll be happy to consider anything you'd like to have clarified or to see happen. I'll consider anything submitted until this Friday, November 21. Thank you all for reading and for reviewing. Its been a pleasure. --Minaosu


	19. Chapter 19

Epilogue

* * *

A/N: Wow. It has been a long road, but here we are, eh? Those who've been with me from the beginning, thank you for joining me on this journey. Those who are just finding this story for the first time, I hope you've enjoyed it! This story has meant a lot to me. I know I've taken a long time to finish it, but... (shrug) I know there are things unanswered, but that is okay. The important things are taken care of, right? If not, go write your own story. ;) Well, here we go!

* * *

"Wedding? Whaddya mean, wedding?" Kagome fell out of the bed in her haste to get answers—forgetting that she was still hung over. She also noticed that she was no longer wearing the amazing dress she had remembered, but what appeared to be a men's dress shirt…

"And where the HELL ARE MY CLOTHES?"

Inu Yasha had gone back to the window and Kagome wondered how she had managed to go so long without noticing that the hanyou was shirtless. Hmm. Shirtless. Despite her mind being greatly impaired, it seemed like a good idea to linger on that last thought for a moment…

"Keh. Look, I know I look good, and the staring _is_ flattering, but really, Kagome…?"

Shaking her head to break the bare-skin-spell and quickly regretting the painful action, she went back on the defense. "Don't change the subject, dog-boy!"

"'Dog-boy'? That hurts, babe." He seemed to be enjoying this. And he called her "babe". This was too much. She was so confused and in pain and frankly disturbed at his behavior that she didn't even notice the smirk disappear when she started wiping tears on the sleeves of the borrowed shirt. "Oi," he said it gently and she could tell he was worried. "Hey, why are you… um, don't cry? Please?"

He knelt beside her and wiped the tears away with the back of one hand while straightening her hair with the other. He was sincere! This was just too much for Kagome.

"Wh-why are you being so nice and mean at the same time?"

"Huh?"

"You tease me, tell me we're _married_, won't tell me what happened or where my clothes are or why I'm wearing your shirt and then turn around and comfort me?"

"Hey, now! I'm not teasing—not intentionally, I mean," he amended quickly at her dark look. "Don't you… " he looked uncomfortable, but was smiling and –could it be—_blushing_? "Don't you remember?"

Kagome sniffled unattractively. "Remember what? Last thing I knew, we were in the casino and there was a waitress and some really tasty drinks…" At the memory of the alcohol, Kagome felt a wave of nausea. From the look on his face, it seemed this last statement produced similar feelings in Inu Yasha.

"You… you don't… Nothing after that?" he looked pale.

"Nope." She slid backwards on her rear, not trusting her legs to hold her weight, and leaned against the side of the bed. There was a heavy silence. "Actually," she suddenly blurted, causing Inu Yasha to jerk his head so fast it should have flown off, "Actually, I think I may have had a dream or something…"

Inu Yasha nodded eagerly and encouragingly. "Yeah? What kind of a dream?" He tried to keep the hope out of his voice. Kagome seemed to not have noticed it.

"It was so… strange…"

"Strange?"

"Yeah."

"…was _I_ in this dream at all?" The tone in his voice caught Kagome's attention. He was looking at her almost as if he were pleading with her. Bewildered, she answered honestly.

"Nope."

Her response hung in the air for a moment before Inu Yasha fell back onto his bum, too, defeated. Confused, Kagome continued, wishing she had her dream journal with her now… this would have been perfect for it!

"Yeah, it was really weird! There was a big man named Sally and I told him to get a manicure or—no! A pedicure! I told him to get a pedicure and he did!" Kagome took a moment to marvel at her imagination. "But that's not the weird part: after Sally left, I saw my reflection!" She tried to say this in a mysterious and mystical and thoroughly impressive way, but Inu Yasha seemed to be ignoring her. She tried clarifying, since this was the creepiest part of the dream. "No, it wasn't like the reflection you see in a mirror, you know, it was diff—hey!"

She broke off her explanation when he suddenly stood up and began walking away. Okay, maybe this wasn't the most thrilling story ever, but still! She used the side of the bed to steady herself and stand up. "What is your problem, mister?"

Inu Yasha had gone to the mini-bar and was downing a shot of some random clear alcoholic beverage. When she spoke, though, she expected a trademark reaction: abrasive, blunt, and hiding what he really meant. What she didn't expect was for him to throw the shot glass against the wall, shattering it and leaving a wake of shocked silence.

Not knowing what to do or say, Kagome stood stock-still, waiting for him.

It took a few minutes before he seemed to have calmed down enough to speak. He still didn't look at her and when he spoke, there was a horrible tremble that she'd never heard before.

"I want you to listen. Don't say a word; just let me say this." He waited and she swallowed hard, sat on the bed and nodded mutely.

"Kagome," he said her name and she nearly cried. There was so much pain, so much emotion when he said it, she bit her lip to keep from interrupting. He took a deep breath again. "Kagome, I wasn't teasing. I wasn't lying or being mean. Not purposely, at least." He paused again and gripped the counter of the bar. "It seems there's been a mistake. I am sorry that I misunderstood. Your dress is in the bathroom. Keep the shirt and the ring, if you want. I don't give a damn."

Panic began to well up within Kagome as his words started to sink in. He turned to her finally and stared for a moment before walking over to the closet and getting his jacket. He didn't look at her again, but with his hand on the door, he paused to say, "For the record, I'm sorry. I thought… Have a nice life."

Time seemed to stop for Kagome.

_Oh my god._

She looked down and saw a ring with a breath-taking, pea-sized diamond on her left hand.

His hand was on the doorknob.

He was leaving.

She had hurt him.

_Oh my god!_

As all the pieces fell into place, she tried to make her mouth call out to him, to stop him, tell him not to go! The only thing she managed to get out was in Japanese:

"O-OSUWARI!"

"**S-SIT, BOY!"**

His hand slipped off the doorknob and nearly caused him to completely loose his balance. "Oi! What the fu—"

Before he could finish swearing, she was there, wrapping her arms around his neck and smothering all chances of cursing with a kiss that nearly made him fall over again.

When she finally, slowly pulled back, she still didn't let go of him. There were tears stuck in her eyelashes. Her cheeks were rosy again and her eyes were intense.

"S-sorry. It was the first thing that popped into my head." She giggled softly and gently bit her lower lip in an embarrassed sort of way. He felt his cheeks heating up and years of programming warned him that he was dangerously close to letting emotions take control. Apparently, she saw this coming and put a finger to his lips. "Don't. It's my turn. I do love you, Inu Yasha. I really do. Don't let those from your past tell you that's impossible or any other kind of non-sense! I've really seen who you are in these past few days—don't try to deny it!" She smiled when she pre-empted his attempts to interrupt.

"I know it was fast, but… I am my own person and being drunk or whatever isn't going to make me do something that I wouldn't want any way! So: don't be sorry!" He looked confused and amused at the same time. "If you want me to be happy, mister, well that's up to you!"

She kissed him again, softly, and moved away from him. Suddenly remembering what she was wearing –or rather was NOT wearing, Kagome blushed and looked embarrassed but pleased. "That was really weird to say," she giggled.

"Keh. But it was good to hear." His blush was brighter than hers. Realizing that this was the most honest they'd been with each other (in her memory), Kagome started laughing out of joy. Inu Yasha smiled back. "You little lush. You're still a little drunk, aren't you?"

On cue, Kagome's laughter was interrupted by a loud, painful hiccup, causing her to lose her balance. Before she could fall, though, Inu Yasha was gone from in front of the door and catching her gracefully. Instead of steadying her, though, he swept her up into his arms and carried her over to the bed. Setting her down and kissing her forehead again, he smiled at her.

"Wow. A girl could get used to this kind of treatment." She turned on her side to look out the window at the strip below them. He turned off the light and she felt his weight next to him. As she turned back to him, he paused before she could kiss him.

"Keh. Silly wench. Didn't I tell you tonight was special?"

* * *

A/N: Thank you, all so much!


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